Darkest Hour
by Tarantella
Summary: Coming Sunset Sequel:: Aubrey's life seems to have spiraled out of control. Marek leaves Forks, Jack's job is transferred, and a person she had thought never to see again reveals himself at last. OC
1. The Boyfriend

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

**Well, here's the sequel that's been in production since the climax of _Coming Sunset_. Don't expect much of the _New Moon_ plotline to be in it. In fact, I'm _trying_ to incorporate it in somewhere. Anyway, here's the first chapter!**

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_'Oh...this is the life...'_ thought Aubrey Neils as she stretched out. No, she wasn't lying on a cruise ship somewhere in the Caribbean, or tanning on a beach in the tropics, or even just lying down on a concrete sidewalk somewhere legendary and famous. No, she was doing something better than all these.

Aubrey was currently lying on top of the most gorgeous man in the entire world, watching Romeo and Juliet out of the corner of her eye for a school project. The most gorgeous man in the world, though he probably would wish to be referred to as that throughout this story, was formally named Marek Rhodes, and he was a vampire.

That fact didn't bother him, or Aubrey, or Aubrey's father, Jack, who knew about Marek's...condition, but he wasn't to tell any of the Cullens. Thanks to Marek's sixth sense of blocking people's minds from invasion by an outside mental power, both his and Aubrey's minds had strong blocks. Marek didn't know the true reason behind blocking Jack's mind though.

Marek tilted his head and kissed Aubrey softly on the mouth, as usual guiding Aubrey's tongue away from his sharp teeth as the kiss became more vicious. Marek had told her over the summer that vampire teeth carried venom that, if left to spread, would make the victim a vampire as well. That was rarely the case, however, since the call of the blood caused the vampire to drain the human completely almost every time.

Their kisses usually lasted half an hour at least, but this time something was nagging at the back of Aubrey's mind, and she broke off, sitting up. Marek sat up as well, looking at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You've been doing this a lot lately."

"Sorry, I'm just thinking..." said Aubrey. She felt Marek's hand sneaking around her waist.

"About what?" he asked. Aubrey looked into his eyes. They were a bright gold, as they always were after he fed on animal blood. They would gradually grow darker, bruises developing under them, until he fed again. "I don't want any secrets between us, love. Secrets only lead to bad things."

"I know I know," said Aubrey. "I've just been wondering something ever since last spring."

"Yes?" asked Marek. "Whatever it is, I'll answer it."

"Promise?" asked Aubrey.

"Of course."

"Who is Nathaniel?" Marek's eyes grew cold, his lips thinning slowly. He seemed completely constructed of marble, the way his motionless body gleamed pale in the dim light of the den. "You said no secrets, now don't back out on your own rule. Who is Nathaniel?" Marek sighed.

"He's a vampire," he said. Aubrey gave him a look. "An old rival of mine," he continued. "Back in England." He stopped talking, staring off into space.

"What happened?" asked Aubrey.

"We had a...disagreement," said Marek. "And I came to America. Haven't been back since."

"Is that where you knew Roger, too?" asked Aubrey.

"Yes," said Marek. "And you are supposed to be watching this movie."

"I can always re-watch it..." said Aubrey, pouting. "How do you know Roger's gone anyway?"

"We made a deal," said Marek.

"What deal?" asked Aubrey.

The door opened and Jack strode in, his brown hair disheveled. Aubrey could hear the rain pelting the driveway outside before her father closed the door. He shook his head like a wet dog, looking up at the two on the couch.

"Hey you two," he said. "Aw, thank you for babysitting my daughter, Marek. It's so nice to know we have such a helpful young man in the neighborhood." Marek sat up, lifting Aubrey off of him.

"I gotta go. Bye Aubrey." He leaned in, kissing her on the lips softly, then breaking off and standing, slapping his hand to Jack's as he passed him, and walking out of the door into the rain. Aubrey looked to her father.

"So, how was work?" she asked.

"Oh so fun. We had someone come in with a sebaceous cyst, and that's kind of a blister, and you think it's solid, but if you pierce it with a scalpel--"

"EW!" exclaimed Aubrey, holding up her hands. "I DON'T CARE!"

"Anyway, I'm not staying long. I've got a meeting," said Jack, walking back into his room. Aubrey followed him.

"You've been having meetings every week, Dad," she said.

"Yeah, I know. I feel like I haven't slept in months," said Jack. "Now go away. I have to change," he said." Aubrey shrugged, walking out of the room.

She went back into the den and stopped the movie, powering the television off. She walked into the kitchen area, opening the refrigerator and grabbing an apple. Jack had always insisted on keeping their fruit in the fridge, though it was hardly necessary.

The phone rang just as Aubrey took a bite of the red fruit. She walked over to the phone, pressing the 'talk' button and holding it to her ear.

"Huwwo?" she asked through a mouthful of apple.

_"Who is this?"_ asked the voice on the line. It was deep, obviously male.

"Aubrey," said Aubrey, her mouth still full.

_"Aubrey..."_ repeated the voice slowly. Aubrey gulped, her eyebrow furrowing.

"Who's this?" she asked.

_"Aubrey, it's Guy," _said the voice. Aubrey's eyes widened as a cold feeling crept up through her face.

"Who?" she asked.

"Aubrey, who's on the phone?" called Jack from the other room.

_"It's Guy, your brother,"_ said the voice again. Aubrey felt her eyes roll back into her head as her knees gave way beneath her.

"Aubrey!" came a cry from behind her as she hit the floor.

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	2. The Request

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

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Aubrey's eyes opened, meeting Jack's green ones a foot away.

"What happened?" she asked in a daze.

"You were talking on the phone and you fainted," said Jack. Aubrey thought, and then she sat up sharply.

"Did you hang up?" she asked in alarm.

"No, it was just a minute ago," said Jack. Aubrey hopped off of the couch, running into the kitchen area and grabbing the phone off of the floor.

"Hello? Hello?" she asked in a panic.

_"Did I cause an alarm?"_ came the deep voice of her long lost brother.

"Yes you bastard! You made me faint!" shouted Aubrey, her anger bubbling to the surface. "What do you want anyway!?"

"Who is it?" asked Jack, walking over.

"It's your son," said Aubrey through clenched teeth.

"What?" asked Jack, his expression darkening.

_"Look, I'm sorry for leaving--"_ started Guy on the phone.

"Don't start that apologetic junk!" yelled Aubrey.

_"I knew this would happen..."_ sighed Guy with a groan. "Let me talk to Dad."

"First you talk to _me_," said Aubrey.

_"I need to talk to Dad,"_ repeated Guy more insistently.

"No! Where were you when he needed to talk to _you_!?" yelled Aubrey. There was an audible sigh.

_"Look, I know you're mad, but just let me talk to him,"_ said Guy.

"What does he want?" asked Jack.

"He wants to talk to you," said Aubrey.

"Give me the phone," said Jack, holding out a hand.

"But--"

"Give it," said Jack. Aubrey shoved the phone at him, and then stalked out of the room.

"She slammed the door to her bedroom, turning towards her bed. She gave a start, though she should have known he would be there.

"Miss me?" asked Marek from the bed, looking at her with a playful smirk. "Or did you forget me entirely?"

"You've only been coming for a month; don't expect me to be entirely used to it yet," said Aubrey, breathing hard. The bed was suddenly empty and a cold arm was snaking around her waist.

"What's the matter?" Marek whispered in her ear. "What's got your heartbeat racing?" Damn those ears of his.

"My dear brother is on the phone," said Aubrey, walking to the bed and taking a seat. Marek was instantly at her side.

"Oh? The devil brother?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"Yes," said Aubrey. "He up and leaves five years ago, then stops talking to us at all, and now he calls up as if it's a regular drill!"

"Maybe he's calling to apologize," said Marek, kissing her cheek soothingly.

"Him sorry? I highly doubt that. He's calling for money, no question," said Aubrey.

"Aubrey, you haven't seen him in years. No doubt you're over-exaggerating in your frustration. You're tired and stressed; I can see it in your eyes," said Marek. "Lie down and just relax. Breathe. You can deal with this in the morning. You haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks."

"That's because it's so hard to sleep with you watching me," said Aubrey with a small smile.

"Would you like me to leave?" asked Marek.

"Never," said Aubrey immediately.

"Well I will if you don't sleep," said Marek in a warning. Aubrey hopped into bed, jamming her eyes shut comically. Marek smirked, lying down beside her after turning off the lights.

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	3. The Verdict

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

**I am proud to say I have found a compatible match to Marek's appearance. In the new Eragon movie coming out in December, the character Murtagh looks like how Marek looks. Note that I only read Eragon last weekend, so did not base Marek at all on anyone in there and any similarities are purely coincidence. Just thought you'd like an example.**

**Now this chapter is really just a filler. The next one will be much more interesting. I just have to write it.**

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As usual, when Aubrey awoke the next morning, Marek was gone. The memories from the night before ht her like a tidal wave, and she quickly ran out of the room.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, spotting Jack as she turned into the kitchen. He was eating a piece of toast. "Why are you here?"

"Called in sick," said Jack.

"But you're not," said Aubrey.

"True."

"Well, what did he say?" asked Aubrey.

"Who?"

"GUY!" Jack scratched his head.

"Oh...well...he's coming into town and he'll be here by the time you're home from school," he said casually, taking another bite of the toasted bread. Aubrey was speechless.

"You forgave him then?" she asked incredulously.

"Pretty much," said Jack. He looked at her and saw the mounting rage. "He expressed his apologies many times over, and he's offered to pay us for letting him stay. After he graduated, he told me, he went to Massachusetts and has been living there these past few years. Apparently he got a mobile job, so he's coming back here to stay."

"He's coming to _live_ here!?" exclaimed Aubrey. "No! There's no room! And I don't think he deserves our hospitality!"

"Aubrey, this is my house. My house, my rules, my boarders," said Jack. "I'm making him stay out in the shed. I thought he deserved that much."

"He doesn't even deserve to stay under the town's 'welcome' sign!" hissed Aubrey. Jack sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I stayed up half the night talking to him and I've forgiven him. You can forgive him yourself on your own time. Now hurry up and go get ready for school."

"I can't _believe_ you!" snapped Aubrey, turning and stalking out of the room in anger. She changed quickly into a t-shirt, scarf, jeans, and sneakers; she exited her room, ignoring Jack as she made her way to where her jacket hung on the wall by the door.

"You might want to wear rain boots today. It's flooding," he said.

"Oh, Marek's driving me," said Aubrey.

"Since when?" asked Jack.

"Since school started, Dad. You're slow," said Aubrey, closing the door.

Sure enough, the blue, flame-decaled Trans-Am was sitting in the driveway, ready to go. Aubrey raced through the rain, climbing into the passenger's seat.

"Good morning, Starshine. The Earth says 'Hello'," said Marek with a smirk.

"Tell the Earth to hold my calls," replied Aubrey sarcastically.

"Well the house was in a riot when I got back at two in the morning," said Marek.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Yesterday was Bella's birthday. They had her over for a party and she got a paper cut. Jasper lost it and jumped at her, making Edward tackle him. And all together they tipped Bella backwards onto some shattered glass that cut her more. In short, everyone had to leave and take Jasper out into the yard," said Marek.

"Oh my God...is she alright?" asked Aubrey.

"She's fine," said Marek.

"Why weren't you there?" asked Aubrey, puzzled.

"Because I was with _you_, and you weren't invited," said Marek.

"Oh," said Aubrey, feeling slightly neglected by the Cullens.

"It doesn't sound like all that great of a party anyway," said Marek, noting her tone. "I mean, they knocked the cake off of the table. No cake equals no fun." He always had a way of making her feel better about something, no matter how small.

They arrived at Forks High School in two minutes and parked dangerously close to the shiny Volvo that belonged to Edward. Marek liked to keep the bronze-haired vampire on edge. Not that he needed any more incentive to dislike Marek. Their relationship was some level between 'friends' and 'loathing'.

The day progressed slowly. Marek had managed to persuade the female administrators of the school to allow him a majority of classes with Aubrey, but his cocky reputation made him less inclined to get what he wanted from the school, as opposed to Edward, who had all of his classes with Bella.

The first three classes they had together. Then Aubrey took French while Marek had Government. Then it was lunch, followed by a class separately, then English together.

At lunch, Marek and Aubrey sat with Bella, Edward, and Alice. The vampires didn't eat, picking at their food while Bella and Aubrey gobbled theirs up eagerly.

Today Edward seemed strangely distant, barely speaking and remaining oddly separate from Bella. Aubrey assumed it was a precaution after the incident the day before. She didn't add to the slow conversation at all, the only thing on her mind being her brother's arrival that afternoon. As she often was, Aubrey was thankful for Marek's strange power to block people's minds from being read by those such as the telepathic Edward. If he wasn't blocking her mind right then, Edward would no doubt be inquiring her dread of her brother.

Marek's power had gotten them into trouble once though. Not a year before an evil, sadistic vampire named Roger had been tracking Aubrey the same time James had tracked Bella through Phoenix, Arizona. Marek, being protective of his past, of which Roger was a character, had blocked his, Aubrey's, and Roger's minds from Edward's power. This had nearly proven fatal to Aubrey, who had been kidnapped by Roger and nearly killed. Marek had only relinquished the block in time for Edward to see where they were, enabling them to track them down at the last minute.

The last few classes shot by in no time, which usually was the case when you were dreading something to come, and before Aubrey knew it the bell was ringing throughout the school, signaling the end. She walked with Marek to his car, when he stopped, catching hold of her.

"I feel like taking a break from driving," he said. "I'll walk you home." Aubrey knew it was only because he knew she did not want to go home in a hurry. Her brother would be there.

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	4. The Forgiveness

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_, not that that matters in this chapter.**

**  
Sorry about the long wait, writers block and the new discovery of _Eragon_ distracted!**

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Sheets of rain had them drenched by the time they reached Aubrey's house. A strange car was out front, crushing any hope she had of belatedness or a change of mind. They reached the doorstep and Marek leaned in, kissing her deeply. He began to pull away.

"Don't leave," said Aubrey, looking into his golden eyes. Marek looked back.

"You have to face this on your own," he said.

"Please...just be backup support," said Aubrey. "And you need to help me with that English homework too. I have no clue what to do." Marek snorted.

"Now you're just begging," he said, though there was a hint of haughtiness in his words.

"For me?" asked Aubrey, looking at him seriously. Marek held her gaze.

"For you," he said in consent. Aubrey kissed him, then opened the door apprehensively, entering.

Jack was pouring two glasses of water in the kitchen, talking, his eyes on someone on the couch.

"...it very cold up there in Boston? Does it rain?"

"It rains fairly often," came a deep voice. Aubrey took a deep breath, then stepped further into the room. Two pairs of eyes moved to her face. Jack's familiar green ones, and an icy blue pair.

"Hi," said Aubrey stiffly, looking into the two blue orbs.

"Hi," responded her brother. The eyes shifted to Marek. "And you are?"

"Her boyfriend," said Marek, slipping his arm around Aubrey's waist and pulling her in close. Guy cocked his head to one side.

"I didn't know she had a boyfriend," he said.

"Well you've been gone. You wouldn't know, would you?" said Aubrey, a noticeable edge to her voice. A grin crossed Guy's face and he stood up, walking over to his little sister.

"Aubrey, I'm sorry," he said. "What else do you want me to do? I'll beg your forgiveness, look," he sank to his knees and held up his clasped hands," please forgive me, Aubrey. I beg you." Aubrey looked down at him.

"It's fruitless to hold a grudge, you know," whispered Marek in her ear. She turned her head to stare at him incredulously, though she knew he was right. With a sigh, she dropped her hand to her brother's head, ruffling his hair slightly.

"Fine, Guy, I forgive you. For now," she said. Guy stood immediately, smiling at her. His expression was slightly mocking, as if he knew she would. She glared.

"Can I get a hug?" he asked. "Or would you prefer if we shook hands?"

"Handshakes will do," said Aubrey, holding hers out. He took it and they shook shortly, as Aubrey let go quickly.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" asked Guy.

"Four months," said Aubrey. Guy looked at Marek.

"Guy Neils," he said, holding out a hand.

"Marek Rhodes," replied Marek, taking it. Guy whistled.

"Must be freezing out there. Your hands are like ice," he said.

"Very cold, yes," said Marek.

"Aubrey, do you want to help Guy set up his bed in the shed?" asked Jack. Aubrey sent him a look.

"I'll help him," volunteered Marek. "Aubrey, do you want to come out and help or stay in here and warm up?"

"I'll uh...put some coffee on," said Aubrey. "Help Dad with dinner."

"Alright," said Guy awkwardly. "Erm...well...let's go then." He and Marek took up Guy's bags and walked outside into the rain. Jack looked at Aubrey.

"You can't hold anything against him forever, you know," he said. "You've known each other too long. You know each other's good sides."

"I can't just welcome him back with open arms," said Aubrey.

"Yes, but you might need a favor for him sometime. It's not good to keep a barrier between the two of you. You know he's the closest relation you have. Closer than me," said Jack.

"Liar," said Aubrey.

"No, it's true," said Jack. "Trust the doctor." Aubrey rolled her eyes, walking to the refrigerator and getting out ingredients to make soup.

When the food was ready, Marek and Guy returned from the shed, holding their coats closely around themselves. Well at least Marek was pretending to. He helped Aubrey set the table, but when she placed a fourth plate down, he took it away.

"I think I'd better be getting home now," he said, looking at Aubrey. Her eyes widened.

"Why?" she asked.

"Don't want to intrude on your reunion," he said, bending in and kissing her quickly on the mouth. "I'll see you in the morning, Aubrey."

"Why?" asked Guy.

"I drive her to school," said Marek.

"I'll drive her," offered Guy. Aubrey looked at Marek.

"Alright," said Marek, looking at his girlfriend's horrified face. "I will see you at school then," he said, kissing her once more with a look that meant more than it seemed. He turned and walked out of the door into the rainy driveway, leaving Aubrey alone with her father and brother. Guy cleared his throat.

"So..."

"Let's eat," said Jack, sitting down at the small, square table. Aubrey sat next to him, keeping her eyes focused on her food. Guy sat across from her, his icy blue eyes fixed on her face. She didn't look up.

They ate in silence, glancing at each other at intervals. Jack tried several times to start up a conversation, Guy catching on at first, but their voices drifted off and stopped in resignation after a while. Aubrey picked up her dishes, dumped them in the sink, and walked off into her room, mumbling about homework.

The next morning Aubrey awoke in slight puzzlement. Marek had not come to her room at all the night before. She groaned when she remembered who her escort to Forks High was that morning.

Guy was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when she entered a while later. He smiled and waved at her.

"Morning, sis," he said. Aubrey scoffed, flopping onto the couch.

"Are we leaving yet?" she asked.

"As soon as I'm done," said Guy. Aubrey looked at the clock on the VCR.

"School starts in twenty minutes," she said.

"You live right next to it," said Guy.

"So what?" asked Aubrey dully. Guy put his mug down, walking over to her and sitting on the couch next to her.

"Aubrey, please don't be like this," he said. "You're my sister and I haven't seen you in years. Can't you just forgive me?"

"You're done, let's go," said Aubrey, standing up. Guy sighed, standing as well and grabbing his jacket off of the back of a chair, moving to the door. Aubrey followed him, retrieving her own coat.

Guy's car, a red Dodge Dakota pickup, sat out in the rain. Aubrey wordlessly walked to the passenger seat and climbed in, not looking at her brother. He started the truck, backing out of the driveway and onto the road. Not two minutes later they were pulling off of the main road, but it wasn't into the school parking lot.

"What are you doing?" asked Aubrey, looking at Guy incredulously as he put the truck in park.

"We need to talk," he said.

"I need to go to school!"

"I'm sorry! I've apologized a million times!" said Guy. "What do I need to do to make you happy!?"

"Leave!" shouted Aubrey.

"That will only contribute to the problem!" said Guy, rolling his eyes. "You're mad because I left! If I left again, what would that solve?"

"I don't know!" said Aubrey, tears springing into her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"What do you want?" shouted Aubrey, confused.

"I want you to be happy! To accept my apology so we can go back to being the family we were!" shouted Guy.

"I don't know if I can," said Aubrey. Guy looked at her for a moment, then he leaned over and embraced her tightly. Aubrey struggled for a moment, then she wrapped her arms around him as well, burying her face in his chest.

"Can you try?" asked Guy. Aubrey hesitated, and then nodded slowly into his shoulder.

"I have to go to school," she said. Guy nodded, backing the truck onto the road once more and speeding the rest of the short way to school. She got out, smiling and waving back at Guy, wiping the remaining tears away from her eyes, and running up to the school.

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	5. The Promise

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

**I am so sorry for not updating sooner! I was in a rush on my _Eragon_ fic, which turned out to be my most successful I might add. So, now I'm back on this because the plot was too good to let rot away in a cellar.**

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Aubrey ran into Biology just as the bell rang, receiving a short reprimand from Mr. Banner. She apologized, walking to her seat beside Marek. She smiled with a sigh, looking at him. Her smile faded almost immediately when she saw his face.

"What is it?" she asked. He looked at her. His eyes seemed distant and he wasn't smiling.

"What?" he asked.

"You look sad," she said. Marek smiled, but it wasn't his usual joking smile. It was a wan smile, sad like his eyes.

"I'm not sad," he said. "Just thinking about things. Why are you so happy? I would have expected a furious little tyrant after yesterday."

"Guy and I have resolved our differences and are now on good terms," said Aubrey. It felt good even saying that. She felt odd not holding her long-lived grudge anymore. Marek smiled at her.

"That's good to hear," he said. They had to stop speaking because Mr. Banner began firing questions at them to test if they had been paying attention. Naturally, Aubrey got all of them wrong while Marek, with his long memory and many past school semesters fresh in his mind, calmly gave detailed and correct answers.

Aubrey noticed her boyfriend's strange attitude all through Calculus and Gym. He didn't even throw the ball as hard as he could during dodgeball, much to everyone's surprise. He excused it for feeling merciful that day. When lunch arrived, they sat with Bella and Edward as usual. Alice was not there that day, strangely.

Aubrey noticed that Bella seemed just as confused and concerned as she was. Edward matched Marek's mood, barely speaking and looking more distant than usual. Aubrey and Bella tried to liven things up with small talk about Bella's birthday, leaving out the part about her party-gone-wrong of course, new films in theaters, how hard the classes were, homework. Nothing seemed to faze the two vampires. The few words they did say went unopposed by the other, which was very different. No matter what they said usually, the other would contradict. One small disagreement would occupy the entire discussion for the whole lunch period frequently.

The rest of the day continued this way. After the final bell, Aubrey followed Marek out into the parking lot, climbing into his car as usual. They drove along in silence, Aubrey studying Marek's expression as he drove at breakneck speed.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Why are you acting like this?"

"I'm not acting like anything," said Marek in a monotone.

"Yes you are. Edward is as well," said Aubrey. Marek didn't answer. "Tell me...please..."

"Hang on," said Marek. He pushed harder on the pedal. They shot by her house, driving for a few more minutes. Then, Marek slowed the Trans-Am and pulled off into a thick area of woods.

"Now tell me," said Aubrey. Marek glanced around the car before turning to Aubrey and kissing her passionately. Aubrey didn't pull away, but waited for him to finish. He did so, sitting back in his seat.

"I hate Edward," he said, mostly to himself, sighing.

"Why?" Marek looked at her.

"He's come up with a plan to 'give Bella her life back'." Aubrey raised an eyebrow. "I know," said Marek, rolling his eyes. "Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper have all left Forks already. Carlisle, Esme, and Alice left last night. Edward and I are to go later tonight, but I really think this won't accomplish _anything_."

"Leave? You're leaving Forks?" asked Aubrey, her eyes widening. Marek caressed her face with a cold hand.

"Carlisle and Esme haven't changed at all, this you know, and we can only stay a few years because of this. Their time is up, and they are going to Denali to stay with the other vampire family. I am to go with them, but only out of Forks. You are not to tell Bella of what their aims are. Edward is leaving in order to give her a chance to fall in love with another human and live a full and happy life. He tells me I am to do the same."

"No," said Aubrey, shaking her head, tears springing into her eyes. "No, don't go! Don't leave me here alone!"

"That's just it," said Marek, his familiar smirk returning. "I'm not. Edward won't stay in Denali long, and he can't read my mind to see my plan. I will stay in Alaska for a week or so, then I'll say I'm going off on my own once more. They won't miss me. I'll return to Forks and say the Cullens are loaning me their house. They won't suspect a thing and we can be together. Just not at Forks High. I don't want Edward suffering a loveless life for nothing. He wants to give her a chance to live without vampires. I won't ruin that plan, no matter how much I despise him. I want to see him realize she needs him as much as he needs her. So, with all that said and done, I leave tonight and I will see you in a few weeks." He bent in to kiss her again, but Aubrey pulled away, worried.

"What if you don't come back?" she asked. The tears spilled over. "What if you're lying to me? What if I wait and wait forever and you never come? Or you stay away longer than a few weeks and come back when I'm forty or so? It's like how Bella is always asking Edward to turn her into a vampire so that she may remain with him forever. What about me?" Marek looked at her levelly.

"When I return," he said, "I will turn you." Aubrey breathed sharply.

"You mean it?" she asked. Marek nodded. "And what if you don't return for years?"

"Aubrey, I love you with all my heart," said Marek. "And I swear on my happiness that I will return before the month is out and turn you."

"You swear on your happiness?" asked Aubrey.

"I hardly have a life, and I have no other life to swear upon, so my happiness is all that keeps me going," said Marek. "And I put it on the line for you, my love." Aubrey leaned in and kissed him hard. They remained locked at the lips for some time before Marek backed out of the woods and drove her home.

Aubrey was in a floating stupor the rest of the afternoon, dancing around the house until Jack arrived. Then her doubts arrived. What would happen to Jack after she was a vampire? What of Guy and their newfound friendship? Should he know of her affiliation with vampires as Jack did? Would she tell neither of them to spare them the shock?

Then there was Bella.

How could she hide this from Bella? Marek's words had made sense in the car earlier about how they needed to learn their lessons, but could she stand back and let Bella go through such anguish? Should she tell her? Aubrey looked at the clock. Edward must be breaking the news to her even now as she sat there.

"So," Jack's voice broke her train of thought. She looked at him. "How did things go this morning?"

"We forgave and are forgiven," said Aubrey, smiling. Jack nodded.

"Knew you could bear to do it," he said, smirking at her. The evening went by quickly, Guy returning halfway through dinner from his drive to get to know the town.

"So what did you do while you were gone?" asked Aubrey.

"Got a job in a restaurant up in Boston," said Guy. "Worked there for a long time. It wasn't much to do and the pay was good enough for survival. Met a few girls; no one very good though. Hung out with some friends over the holidays and super bowl night. And on New Years, me and a group of friends would drive down to New York and party in Times Square until the ball dropped."

"Fun," said Aubrey. "No wonder you stayed."

"Mmm..." said Guy through a mouthful of food.

"So why the sudden return?"

"Well I wouldn't call it sudden," said Guy. "I drove for a week down to Arkansas only to find that you'd up and left. All anyone would say was that you were in Washington. So, I started driving up there. Then I got lucky and found an operator in a bar in Boise. She helped me find your number, and the next day I was in Salem calling you up."

"You must have had tons of Starbucks," said Aubrey, laughing. Guy nodded. They sat in silence for a minute.

"I'm glad we're friends again," he said.

"Me too," said Aubrey, smiling. Guy held up his can of Root Beer, clearing his throat.

"A toast to family," he said. Jack snorted, holding up his own along with Aubrey.

"To family," they repeated in unison, clacking their cans together.

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**Cheesy ending, but whatever.**

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	6. The Man

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

**These chapters seem short, but I'm doing my best as fast as possible.**

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Two weeks passed and Marek had not returned. Aubrey tried not to dwell on it, but anxiety seemed to be following her everywhere. She finally sat herself down and convinced herself to trust in her love fully, extinguishing her doubts, and life had gone on fairly pleasantly. All except for Bella.

Aubrey noticed a shocking change in Bella. No longer was she the clumsy, bubbly girl everyone had known. She seemed lost and zombie like. Jessica and Angela had stopped sitting with her out of awkwardness. Aubrey felt ashamed to admit it, but so had she. She couldn't speak to her, feeling terrible. She longed to tell the poor girl the truth, but she didn't. It was Edward's wish. She would respect it, as Marek was doing. Her resolution was put to test, however, one day as she waited for Guy to pick her up from school. She stood by the parking lot, clutching her jacket close against the light, cold rain.

"Tell me it wasn't a dream," said a voice behind her. She turned to see Bella, pale and thin, standing behind her.

"What?"

"Edward! Alice! Carlisle! The others! Tell me they weren't a dream!" said Bella. Aubrey hesitated, mouth open. In the parking lot, Guy honked his horn at her. She looked over at him, and then turned her head back to Bella. She'd promised not to ruin his plans...

"I have to go," she said finally, waving briefly and turning to run to her brother's car. Immediately guilt set in, reprimanding her for her answer. If you could call it an answer. She climbed into the passenger's seat of the vehicle and they sped out of the lot onto the road.

"Hey," said Guy.

"Hmm," replied Aubrey. He looked at her.

"Tons of homework?" he asked. She nodded. He nodded agreeably. "I need to make a stop by Thriftway if you don't mind procrastinating for another half hour."

"I don't mind at all," said Aubrey, smiling. "Trig is not exactly my favorite pastime."

"Great," said Guy, turning off onto another road. Aubrey looked out of the window as they drove.

"Do you know you drive really slow?" she asked. Guy glanced at her in confusion.

"Aubrey, I'm five over the limit," he said. Aubrey shrugged.

"Still seems unbearably slow," she said. Guy raised his eyebrows.

"Well if you want speed, go join NASCAR," he said. Aubrey laughed.

A few minutes later they pulled into the Thriftway parking lot. Aubrey followed Guy inside, glancing up at the stormy sky. Clouds always reminded her of Marek now. They walked casually into the building, strolling up one of the aisles. Guy nonchalantly examined the merchandise they passed as they browsed.

"Tape...tape...aha, here we are," he muttered to himself, grabbing a large roll of duct tape off of a hook. They walked around to the next aisle, then the next, weaving up and down the rows. Guy picked up a few packages of AA's and they retreated to the self-register.

Aubrey looked around carelessly as Guy scanned the items. Her eyes connected with those of a man who stood by an aisle, a magazine held in front of his face. He was staring at her unblinkingly. She looked away, perusing the magazine selection briefly before looking back. He was still staring. Only his frightening, dark eyes were visible above the top of the magazine and under the red rim of his baseball cap. Guy finished the checkout, and they walked out of Thriftway into the parking lot.

As Aubrey climbed back into his car, she spotted the man walking out of the store as well. His eyes were still on them. She closed the door, strapping herself into the seat. They drove out of the lot, riding along the road, once again slower than Aubrey would have liked. She looked out of the window drowsily, glancing into the mirror. Behind them was a dirty, green truck. She closed her eyes as they turned. A moment later she opened them once more. The truck was still following them. She turned, staring at the driver. It was the man from the store. His face was visible now, covered in a short, dark beard. His cheeks were pale and sallow, and he was staring at them with wide, mad eyes.

"Guy, we're being followed," she said suddenly. Her brother looked at her.

"What?"

"That man. He was watching us in Thriftway, and he's been following us ever since," said Aubrey, nodding at the mirror. Guy looked into it. His eyes widened sharply and he swore loudly, stomping on the gas. The car lurched forward, screeching as it turned sharply onto another road.

"Dammit how did he get here?" hissed Guy as they sped along. Aubrey looked at him, eyes wide.

"You know him!?" she exclaimed. Guy swerved onto another road, turning off suddenly into the woods. He shot through the underbrush, turning the wheel sharply to avoid the trees in the way. The truck was following them still. He drove out of the trees onto another road, flooring it. They sped forward, then screeched onto another road. "We have to get home!" said Aubrey.

"I can't lead him to Jack!" said Guy. He turned a few more corners, then pulled off into the woods, pulling the key out of the ignition.

They waited, not daring to breathe. The truck did not appear. Nearly an hour went by without a word. Guy silently turned the car back on and drove straight to their house. The rain was coming down harder than ever now, drenching them as they ran from the vehicle inside the house.

"Where have you been?" asked Jack as Guy closed the door behind them, locking it. "I've been here for nearly half an hour already!"

"Someone was stalking us," said Aubrey, taking off her jacket. She fumbled with the zipper and found that her hands were shaking. Jack furrowed his brow.

"What?"

"A man followed us from Thriftway for like twenty minutes," said Aubrey. "And we were speeding!"

"It's my fault," said Guy, bowing his head and raking his fingers through his sopping hair. "He followed me...I shouldn't have led him here..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jack, crossing his arms.

"You seemed to know him, Guy," said Aubrey. "What's going on?"

"He's the reason I didn't call you guys or come back for so long," said Guy. "They told me not to come back here or talk to you ever again, but I violated that, and now you're paying the price for it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jack, his voice serious. Guy looked up at him.

"He followed me here because I witnessed him and his buddies pull off a murder where I was staying," he said. "They caught everyone but him. So I went into the Witness Protection Program. They put me in Boston, and I dropped all contact with you. But I couldn't stand avoiding you anymore. I came here, and he followed me. And he knows where we are."

"What are we supposed to do?" demanded Jack as Aubrey looked on in fear.

"We have to leave Forks tonight," said Guy.

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	7. The Escape

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

**I don't feel I have to say that every time, seeing that the basis is very loose. Anywho, sorry about the scattered updates. _Somber Resplendence_ has been gathering so much popularity lately that it has become my main focus. After it's finished, however, I'll return to this and work until it's finished. Then it'll be just a long wait until _Eclipse_ is released for the third sequel to this. I can't wait! **

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There was a stunned silence as the information sank in. Jack opened and closed his mouth several times, making incoherent noises. Aubrey merely stared in disbelief at the brother she had just come to love again.

"You...you come here..." started Jack in a shaky voice. "You come here after all these years, asking forgiveness and love, and then you turn suddenly and uproot the life we've established over the past year to take us somewhere far away where we'll have to start all over again!?" His voice had risen to a shout by the end.

"It will be far worse if we don't leave," said Guy. "The police can't stop this guy. He's traveled across the country to find me; he won't hesitate to kill both of you without a second thought."

"I can't leave Forks," said Aubrey. "I...I've got friends...and a school...and Marek--"

"I won't let him kill you, Aubrey!" said Guy. "This is all my fault, but I couldn't let you think I had abandoned you anymore!" Jack held up a hand. He was silent for a moment, thinking, and then he spoke.

"We leave Forks," he said. Guy sighed in relief, and Aubrey began to protest, but he cut them off. "Only for tonight, though. We'll call the WPP and alert them of your situation," he said to Guy. The young man nodded. Jack turned to Aubrey. "Get your things."

"But--"

"Aubrey, we have little time," said Jack sternly. Aubrey closed her mouth and nodded, though her eyes were narrowed in anger. She turned and walked to her room.

A few t-shirts, personals, a toothbrush, and other items of necessity were thrown into her backpack. She tossed in her cellphone and a wallet full of money as well. She ran out into the living room where Jack and Guy stood, packed as well. They turned off all of the lights and peered through the windows, making sure of the safety. Outside it was dark and quiet aside from the rain. They ran out as one, jumping into Jack's car, Aubrey sitting between Jack in the driver's seat and Guy in the passenger's. They started up the engine and quickly sped out of the driveway.

Trees whipped by on both sides as Jack drove at breakneck speed through the forests of Forks. He cut through the underbrush between streets sometimes, trying to be as evasive as possible. They finally passed the welcoming sign. The sun had long since set, but it was only 6:15 as they drove nonstop through the cities of Washington, putting as much distance as possible between them and Forks.

Five hours later they pulled off into a cheap hotel off the side of the highway. Aubrey was strongly reminded of the year before when she had fled to Arizona along with Bella, Alice, and Jasper. They carried their few belongings up into their room, closing the curtains over the windows and turning on a small, dim lamp. Aubrey sat down on the bed, holding her stomach. She felt nauseous, her head spinning.

Guy picked up the phone, dialing. He said a few words that seemed random and made no sense, but soon asked for an officer and began to explain their situation. Aubrey stopped listening, rolling over on the bed and covering her ears with a pillow. A minute later she felt someone shaking her shoulder. She looked up to see it was Jack.

"Aubrey, they say we can't go back home," he said. Aubrey looked away, sadness rising in her throat. "We can choose where we can live next, though, as long as we've never been there before."

"I want to live in Forks," said Aubrey. Jack sighed.

"We can't," he said.

"We should get out of the US entirely," said Guy, covering the mouthpiece of the phone. Aubrey shot him a glare, but it faltered and she shook her head, sighing. Jack looked at Guy.

"Just get us as far away from Forks as possible," he said. "If it's out of the country, then so be it." Guy nodded, uncovering the phone.

"England? Portsmouth? And how would we get there? It's paid for? And our belongings...oh, alright. Thank you very much. We'll be there, thank you." He hung up.

"Well?"

"They're sending us to England," said Guy. "Portsmouth." Aubrey didn't speak. Jack mustered a flat smile.

"Hey, Aubrey, you hear that? You're finally getting that vacation out of the country. Only it's permanent." Aubrey looked at him with an expressionless stare, then climbed under the blankets and grabbed the pillow, jamming it over her head once again.

"I'm sorry," said Guy, sitting on the other bed. "Really I am. I shouldn't have come." Jack walked over and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Guy, you're my son," he said. "We're family, and family helps family get through the rough spots in life. Now you've dragged us into obeying that law of life, so we're gonna rough it together. Aubrey will come around, don't worry." Guy looked at Jack, gratitude shining in his eyes.

"Thanks dad," he said.

"I love you, son," said Jack. Guy nodded.

"I love you too, dad," he said. They embraced strongly, then let go. "I'll take the watch," said Guy. "Just in case."

"Wake me up in three hours and I'll switch with you," said Jack. Guy nodded and walked to the couch, sitting down with his arms crossed. Jack climbed into the other bed and switched off the lamp.

Early the next morning, the threesome drove to the nearest police station. Guy stepped inside for a moment, and then returned, three plane tickets in his hands, along with an envelope of papers. He climbed into the car, closing the door.

"Our plane leaves at noon," he said. "So we need to drive to Seattle by then."

"What's that?" asked Jack, pointing to the envelope.

"Our new information," said Guy. "Name, address, a map, contact information."

"New names?" asked Aubrey.

"Just last names," said Guy. "We'll open it on the plane."

Aubrey looked down at her hands, feeling tears rise into her eyes. A stab of panic struck her heart suddenly. Marek would come back to Forks and she wouldn't be there. He would have no way to find her. He would forget about her. Roger's words echoed back to her in his sickening voice. _'Marek doesn't have _friends. _He just wants to keep a home for as long as he can.' _He would just move on. He would go back, shrug at her disappearance, and leave. She refused to believe it for a minute, but thought. How many other girls had he left behind? He had lived long enough to go through many. Was she just another? The tears fell, dampening her skin.

"How are they getting everything to us?" asked Jack. "We only have enough supplies for a week at most."

"They know our address," said Guy. "They're going to send them to us in the next three days. Until then, we'll have to make do with what we have."

They backed out of the lot and drove onto the road. Aubrey looked at Guy.

"What about the car?" she asked.

"The license plate will be changed, but it will be transported to our new town, or else they'll provide a new one," said Guy. Aubrey sighed. Guy looked at her face with a sad expression. "Aubrey, I'm so sorry. Really, I am."

"It's alright," said Aubrey, though her heart was compressing with the thought of Marek. "It's not your fault." Guy hugged her.

They drove for a few hours, keeping a lookout for any suspicious cars that might be following them. They reached the Seattle airport and quickly checked in. It was easy with no bulky suitcases. They sat in their gate and Jack left to get something to eat. Guy and Aubrey were left alone.

"Marek was going to come back," said Aubrey. Guy looked at her.

"I thought they left," he said.

"Marek left with them, but he was going to come back," said Aubrey, tears brimming in her eyes. "He was coming back for me." They spilled over. She looked down. "And now I can't tell him I've gone." Guy looked at her with an expression that plainly showed he felt as if his stomach was sinking. He put an arm around her shoulder.

"Aubrey," he said. She shook her head.

"I don't blame you," she said.

"You should," said Guy. "I led him there."

"You couldn't help seeing what he did," said Aubrey. "Your fate was entirely out of your hands, as ours is now."

"Now boarding A," said the woman at the gate desk into a microphone. "Now boarding A."

"We're B," said Aubrey. "Jack better hurry."

They waited, walking to the line as B was called. Jack came sprinting up with sandwiches before they reached the desk, and they handed the woman their tickets one by one.

"Have a nice trip," she said brightly, handing Aubrey her scanned ticket back. Aubrey gave her a look and turned towards the gaping door into the tunnel that led to the plane. She took a deep breath...and walked inside.

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	8. The Airport

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

**I'm trying so hard to make these chapters longer, but it's forcing a lot out of me just to keep the chapter going. I'm at a dull point for a while, but I know where it's going. So please please PLEASE bear with me! More is on the way, and I'm alternating updates between this and _Somber Resplendence_, which is actually an awesome story, so if you're bored and want to read a really long thing, go read that :D**

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Aubrey stared out of the window as the clouds rushed by. They all looked like Marek. She groaned. Beside her, Guy opened the envelope he had been given at the police station. She looked over in interest as he pulled out ID papers, handing her one. She read it over.

"We still have our first names," she noted.

"They didn't feel the need to change those," said Guy. "Probably because we would claim we go by our middle names or something. There must be over a million other Aubreys in the world." Aubrey nodded, looking back at the sheet.

Her name was Aubrey Moore, 18 years, born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and raised in Champaign, Illinois. Mother's name was Mary Grace Moore and father's name was Jack Moore. Brother was Guy Moore. Aubrey shook her head, looking at Guy.

"Moore?" she asked. "Could they come up with anything more common?" He gave her a look and went back to looking things over.

"This is a minor case," he said. "Nothing like a big corporation with feeds everywhere tracking us down. They don't feel the need to overly seclude us in secrecy. Who would even follow us across the Atlantic?"

"Then why did we have to leave if it was minor?" asked Aubrey. Guy held a finger to his lips, looking around. He locked eyes with her.

"This guy has feeds in _America_," he said. "It wasn't safe, Aubrey. We can go back once they've caught him."

"What if they never catch him?" asked Aubrey. Guy shrugged.

"They will," he said in an even tone. The seatbelt sign blinked off and Guy got up, walking down the aisle. Jack leaned over to Aubrey.

"You alright?" he asked. Aubrey looked at him dully. He looked around briefly. "I've been wondering if we should tell Guy about the Cullens and Marek and their...condition..."

"It doesn't matter anymore," said Aubrey. "They left and we've left."

"But I mean...Aubrey, this secret has been eating away at my insides for months. Can't I tell _someone_?"

"No," said Aubrey. They fell silent as the stewardess walked by and took their orders for drinks. Jack leaned back over to her.

"But you're going to tell him sometime, aren't you?"

"Hey, what are we talking about?" Aubrey looked up and saw Guy standing there. Jack looked around as well.

"Oh, here," he said, standing and letting Guy back into his seat. Aubrey turned her head and resumed staring out of the window. Guy started to say something when Jack hurriedly engaged him in a conversation about his past experiences with the WPP. The hours flew by as the plane did. It was well past noon when they landed in the New York Airport.

"Hey, I'm going to get a drink. You want anything?" asked Jack. Aubrey shook her head.

"Me neither," said Guy. "Be sure to come back in the next three hours, though." Jack smirked at him and stood, walking off through the terminal. Aubrey pulled out her cellphone and turned it on. Guy looked at her. "You know you can't call anyone," he said.

"I know, I just wanted to see if I had any messages," said Aubrey. Her hand vibrated suddenly, confirming her theory. Five new voicemails. She clicked a few buttons and held the phone to ear.

_"Aubrey, it's Bella. I really need to talk to you,"_ said the voice in a choked voice that made Aubrey's stomach squirm with guilt. _"Call me when you get this. Bye."_

Aubrey sighed and deleted the message. The next one began to play.

_"Aubrey, it's Edward,"_ said a cool voice. Aubrey stiffened slightly, her eyes wide. _"If Bella asks _anything_ about us, anything at all, you act as if you do _not_ remember. Do you understand me? You do not say _anything_. I know Marek will be planning something, but all I want is for Bella to lead a normal life. You do not have to do the same, but do not ruin her only chance at happiness."_ His voice paused as if he were conflicted. _"Don't let her see Marek if he's run back to you."_ The message ended. Aubrey saved it cautiously. The next message began to play.

_"Aubrey where are you? It's Angela. We had a test today and Mr. Banner says he won't let you make it up. Oh, and I don't remember the math homework from last week. Call me."_ Aubrey wasted no time in deleting the message, sighing. The next message was another hysterical one from Bella, which Aubrey tried in vain to ignore. The last one began to play.

_"Hi Aubrey, it's Marek. I'm beginning the run from Alaska today, so I should be in Forks by tomorrow."_ Aubrey felt her eyes tear up as she listened. _"I'll meet you in the Barnes house after school. I've missed you so much. I love you and I'll see you tomorrow."_ Aubrey closed her phone, dropping it back into her backpack. She crossed her arms and sat back with a sigh. Guy looked at her.

"Marek?" he asked. She nodded, sniffling. Guy wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "It'll be alright," he said. Aubrey leaned on him, looking at the floor.

The remaining hours passed slowly. Jack returned and they waited until they were called to board. They joined in the line at the end and stood as the crowd of people in front of them slowly scanned their tickets and walked into the tunnel. Aubrey glanced around and spotted a man in sunglasses leaning up against a wall, holding a paper. Only he wasn't reading the paper.

Aubrey continued to watch him suspiciously. He wore a red baseball cap that covered his dark hair, but he continued to watch her. She glanced at Guy and Jack, who were oblivious to the watcher, and turned back. She raised her eyebrows at the man. He lowered his paper and Aubrey saw his mouth. It was spread across pale skin in a sickly smirk, displaying very white teeth. Aubrey felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and goosebumps extended down her arms. She new that smirk. The man folded his paper and threw it into a nearby trashcan, turning his cap backwards and lowering his sunglasses so that his eyes were visible to her. They were red.

_'Roger'_

Aubrey watched him like a deer facing headlights on a freeway. Roger smirked wider. He opened his mouth.

_'Scream and you'll wish you were dead, darling,'_ he mouthed, eyes widening evilly.

"Aubrey," came Guy's voice. Aubrey looked away from Roger to see that the line had shortened. She walked quickly, throwing a last glance over her shoulder at where Roger had been. He was gone.

"You alright?" asked Jack when she caught up. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I remembered a test I had today, but then I realized I'm never going to have to take it," said Aubrey. "It's nothing."

"School really gets to you..." said Guy, shaking his head. Aubrey nodded, but she kept looking back over her shoulder with mounting paranoia.

Aubrey didn't sleep at all throughout the plane ride. She spent the six hours staring out of the window at the increasingly darkening sky, panicked thoughts racing in circles through her mind. She needed to call Marek. She needed to tell him what was happening.

How had Roger found her? Had he been watching her since the year before, waiting to track her to New York? What did he _want_!?

She looked out of the window at the ocean far below. The sun was just setting on the far line of the horizon. Her eyelids drooped as she looked around the water. Something caught her eye.

A white line of spray was cutting through the water far below the plane easily keeping up with the flying machine's speed. Aubrey cupped her hands around her eyes against the window and squinted down at the thing creating the spray. The sun vanished completely behind the horizon and darkness obstructed her view.

Puzzled, she sat back in her chair, looking around at Guy and Jack. Her father lay against the back of the seat, his mouth open, a guttural snoring emanating from the back of his throat. Her eyes turned to Guy. He matched his father's pose. Aubrey mustered a small smile, leaning back against her seat and sighing.

She closed her eyes and sighed, resting, though sleep didn't come to her. Hopefully when she woke up it would all be over.

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**REVIEW!!!**


	9. The Escort

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_.**

**Okay, _Somber Resplendence_ is finished, so more of this will be updated quicker, but I warn you I'm having writer's block issues and I have almost no knowledge of Great Britain. If you are a native, excuse my inaccuracies, please. **

**Oh and just for you timeline freaks out there, it is now Saturday 10/1/05. Just saying that for unnecessary clarification.**

**The chapters will get longer once being in England gets interesting.**

** I've been to UK now and I've edited to make things more accurate.  
**

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_"One minute until landing and we hope you all enjoy your stay in London,"_ said the mechanical voice over the loudspeaker. Aubrey stretched her limbs, looking out of the window. Trees were gradually rising to meet them as the plane flew lower and lower over the land. Guy and Jack jerked out of their snoring stupors as the wheels hit the pavement, bouncing the plane as it began to slow from its flight.

They filed out into the airport, walking to the long hallway that branched off into the many different gates. Aubrey held Guy's hand, looking around warily at the strange foreigners. The voices all around her were laced with all sorts of different British accents. Everything seemed alien now that she wasn't in America. Even the coffee vendors and the shops selling cheap merchandise. All were strange and unfamiliar.

They avoided the other people's eyes as the walked along at a fast pace. Guy muttered the directions as he looked at the signs that lined the ceiling and they joined a crowd headed to baggage claim. A tall escalator lowered them down onto the street level where the baggage claim was located. They started for the door, but Aubrey stopped, watching the men with signs.

"Dad...Guy...hang on," she said. They stopped and followed her gaze. Next to the long line of chauffeurs stood a man in a long trench coat and a leather hat. His sign read _'Moore, Mr., Miss, and Master'_. "Is that us?" she asked, looking at Jack. He squinted at the man.

"Stay here," he said, glancing at Guy.

He casually slipped his hands into his pockets and walked over to the man, looking around at the signs on the walls and the different people on the escalator. He turned to the chauffeur and said something Aubrey and Guy could not hear. The man nodded and replied. A minute of speaking passed and Jack waved for them to follow.

The man led them out into the cold street and they followed him to an old-fashioned looking black car parked on the side of the road several yards ahead of the sliding doors. Judging from the line of matching black cars that sat behind it, this was a typical British taxi. Guy and Aubrey climbed into the back seat while Jack opened the passenger door, only to find that it was the driver's side. He blushed and awkwardly walked around the car to the correct side, climbing in and shutting the door quickly.

"Ah, finally we can talk in safety," said the man as he started the car, glancing back at Aubrey and Guy with a smile. He turned the wheel and steered them out onto the road headed towards the highway. "I trust you know who you are and where you are staying?"

"Yes," said Jack. "The packet told us. But...how are all of our belongings going to get to our new...house?" Aubrey noted he didn't say home.

"Ah, yes, our American branch will be taking care of that. Your house will be empty by next week and your belongings will be safe in your new home."

"House," corrected Guy. The man waved a hand carelessly and continued to drive. Aubrey noticed Jack's uncomfortable position as he experienced driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Guy seemed tense as well and was making a point of not staring out of the windshield.

"Girl...Aubrey," said the man after a moment.

"Yes?" asked Aubrey.

"You are seventeen?"

"Almost eighteen," said Aubrey.

"That is college age here," said the man. Aubrey raised her eyebrows.

"You mean I don't have to go to school?" she asked. The man laughed.

"Relieved, aren't you?" he said. Aubrey didn't answer. "You should apply for college."

"That's not the best of ideas," said Jack, clearing his throat nervously. "I have to work at...wherever my work is, and Guy can find a job, but Aubrey, I won't have you sitting at home every day."

"We've remedied this issue already," said the man. "Her new identity is a year younger. Sixteen going on seventeen. Jack turned to look back at Aubrey.

"You hear that? You have school still," he said, pointing at her warningly. Aubrey gave him an annoyed look.

They rode along for nearly two hours. The man made conversational smalltalk in which they discovered his name was Mr. John Beckham. He turned out to be very open with his personal life for someone who worked with such a secret organization. He was a bore in conversation, though, as they found out even faster than they found his personality.

They turned off of the narrow highway and Aubrey looked outside. The endless, rolling hills of crops and sheep ended at a large cluster of tightly-packed buildings in the distance. Aubrey turned to Beckham.

"Is that Portsmouth?" she asked, pointing at the city.

"Yes it is," said Beckham. "You live in North End. There are maps in the mailbox outside your house. Directions to anywhere you may need to go are in the letters with the maps. You'll settle in soon enough."

Aubrey highly doubted it. She pulled out her cellphone, turning it on. Her eyes widened. A message flashing on the screen read _'76 New Voicemail'_. She shook her head in disbelief. It had been Marek, she was sure of it. She pressed a few buttons and began to call her voicemail box. It wouldn't send. She attempted to call several more times, but the phone hung up whenever she pressed send.

"What is it?" asked Guy, looking over.

"My cellphone won't dial," she replied.

"We had your numbers cancelled," said Beckham from the front. The three of them looked up at him.

"Why?" asked Jack.

"Well we can't very well have your pursuer calling you, having you answer, and tracking you down, now, can we?" said Beckham as if it were obvious. Aubrey shut her phone, staring out of the window with unshed tears welling up in her eyes. She truly would never see or hear from Marek again. Ever again.

She lost track of time, watching the scenery slip by without really seeing it. Her mind drifted from one painful topic to another as Beckham chattered on about nothing, finally slowing and turning the car into a driveway.

"Voila! Your new home!" he exclaimed, grinning back at Aubrey. She stared at him blandly before stepping out of the car.

The house was strange. The entire building looked like any normal house would, but it was split down the middle so as to accommodate two separate families. Their half was two stories with three windows facing the small, pitiful lawn in front. A row of hedges lined the base of the house by the door. Aubrey found herself sorely missing the concealing trees of Forks. Here everything was so...open. Yet cramped. The man walked up to the door and pulled out a key, unlocking the door and entering. Jack and Guy followed, but Aubrey lingered, staring at the small white sign in the yard. It was a _'For Sale' _sign, but a large piece of tape with the message _'SOLD'_ typed in large bold letters covered the middle.

A strange feeling crept up the back of Aubrey's neck and she turned sharply, fleetingly meeting the brown eyes of a woman in the house across the street before a bland curtain fell over the glass, hiding the civilian from view. Aubrey turned and walked brusquely inside, shaking her head. Snooping neighbors were the last thing they needed.

The house was cozy, but large and empty without furniture. A staircase wound up to the second floor on the right. The front hall led to two small rooms in the back, each with a separate door. On the right was the kitchen which connected to the den that met the hall through the lefthand door. The kitchen connected with a small garage on the other side. All in all, the house was small. Beckham continued to lead Jack and Guy on a tour while Aubrey walked upstairs, intent on touring herself through the unfamiliar house. The second floor consisted of a narrow hallway that split off into four small rooms. One of these was a bathroom while three were bedrooms.

Aubrey waited in the room she had claimed as her own. She did not come out when her family followed Beckham to tour the second floor. Finally, as the sky darkened outside, Aubrey sat staring blankly out of the window and spotted Beckham's short, black car pull out of the driveway onto the road, driving off. The masculine voices of her father and brother echoed up through the floor, reaching her ears. She heard, but didn't listen. Her mind was too tired from the fatigue of the flight and stress following the criminal's appearance. Roger's little visit hadn't helped her nerves any.

She lay on her back on the carpeted floor of the room, staring at the white paint covering the ceiling. Sleep slowly enveloped her and she drifted into unsettled dreams in which Marek made frequent appearances. Roger's sadistic cackling followed her throughout the night.

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	10. The School

**Disclaimer: Don't own _New Moon_, though I think that's hardly necessary to say. Oh, but I don't own _Harry Potter_.**

**SORRY FOR THE LONG SILENCE! SCHOOL'S BEEN HELL!**

**This chapter is dedicated to my British advisors Dark-Child99 and XEye-Of-The-WolfX**

**THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH! If you find anything inaccurate about this chapter, tell me.**

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"You've got to be kidding," said Aubrey, looking out of the window of Jack's newly arrived truck with an expression of deepest devastation. Jack sighed, looking back at her. The terrifying drive had weathered his nerves to their last. Not to mention the self-conscious feeling that settled over them when they noticed that their truck was the biggest car in the entire United Kingdom. The others were short and small while his stuck out like a boulder amongst pebbles.

"You have to go to school, Aubrey," he said. Aubrey looked at him with a disbelieving look.

"I have to go into a high school wearing _this_!?" she exclaimed, gesturing at the uniform she wore. She heard Guy snort from the passenger's seat and a wave of anger rose inside of her.

Her new school required she wear a plain white shirt with a tie striped with the school colors of dark green and gold. Over that went a dark green crew neck sweatshirt covered with a dark green and gold blazer. Her legs were covered with black tights that extended under a green pleated skirt. Both her blazer and sweatshirt were emblazoned with the school crest of a black phoenix prancing on a green background outlined in gold thread. She felt utterly ridiculous. And Guy wasn't helping at all.

"Oh come on," said Jack. "You look lo--"

"Like a circus clown!" exclaimed Guy, bursting into laughter. Aubrey glared at him in annoyance as he slapped the dashboard with mirth. Jack sighed.

"Just go in," he said. Aubrey rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car. She turned back for a last word but Jack revved up the engine and sped off, leaving Guy's echoing laughs behind in the street. Aubrey turned and faced the school. With a sigh of resignation, she walked towards it.

The day would be slow, she knew, and she would not be able to sleep through it. Why? Because it started a whole hour later than Forks High. Her first class would be at five til nine. She knew any other American would be jealous as they woke at six thirty in the morning in order to make it to school on time.

She avoided the gazes of the other students as she entered the main hallway. Accented voices blended together in the familiar clamor of school. Aubrey's insides squirmed with nervous butterflies. She looked around for a sign or a map that would help her find the office. She did not want to ask for help.

A bell rang somewhere in the school and the students began filing off into the different classrooms along the hall. Aubrey turned and looked around, uncertain of what to do. A girl with long blonde hair passed by and she walked after her, clearing her throat.

"Um...excuse me..." she said in a rather high-pitched voice. The girl turned around. Aubrey smiled in a friendly way. "Hi...I'm uh...new here and I don't know where anything is..."

"Oh, welcome to Clemenside School," said the girl. "Are you American?"

"Yes. Where is the office? I'm supposed to get my schedule..."

"It's down that hallway there and to the left," said the girl, pointing. Aubrey thanked her and quickly walked off in the direction she'd indicated. Inside the office stood a pale-skinned woman who was jotting something down on a hard, wooden desk. She looked up as the door closed.

"May I help you?" she asked. Aubrey nodded nervously.

"Um...my name is Aubrey Ne--Moore, and I'm a new student here..."

"Ah, yes, welcome to Clemenside," said the woman with a smile. She shuffled through the papers on her desk, taking out a yellow sheet and a small post-it. She scribbled quickly on the post-it and handed the papers to Aubrey. "That is your timetable and a note to your first teacher seeing as you are a bit late."

"Thank you," said Aubrey, turning. She paused and turned back, looking at her schedule. "Uh...which way is...Professor Berkins' class?"

"Across the hall and three doors down," said the woman. Aubrey thanked her again and stepped out into the hall.

She walked along, surveying the walls with an eyebrow raised. There were no lockers at all. Aubret didn't know whether to take that as just a feature of Clemenside or a British normality. She fidgeted with her blazer, unaccustomed to wearing such stiff clothing. She stopped outside of the door, taking a deep breath. Then, before second thoughts could arise, she turned the knob and walked into the classroom.

Immediately about twenty-four pairs of eyes focused on her. She kept her eyes on the man standing at the front of the class as she walked inside and handed him the post-it. He read it over and looked at her.

"America? Well, you've come a long way," he said. Aubrey merely nodded. She heard the students whisper amongst themselves, but ignored them. The teacher, Professor Berkins, turned to the class. "This is Aubrey Moore, a new transfer from America. I trust you will all make her feel welcome here. Miss Moore, why don't you take a seat behind Mr. Meath." He pointed at an empty desk near the back behind a sandy-haired boy. Aubrey walked to the seat quickly, setting down her backpack and looking at her schedule, ignoring the stares of the other students.

Her interest was immediately grabbed by the schedule's timetable. It read:

_8:45 Registration - Mr. Edeson  
8:55 History - Mr. Berkins  
9:45 Chemistry - Professor McGill  
10:35 Break  
10:50 French - Madame DeWitte  
11:40 Physical Education - Coach Parker  
12:30 Lunch  
1:15 Registration - Mr. Edeson  
1:20 Calculus - Professor Gelson  
2:10 Literature - Mr. Edeson  
3:00 Final Bell_

Never, in any school in America, had she ever had a break so early in the morning. And what was Registration? Lunch for an entire hour was impressive. Back in Forks it had only been half an hour. But how much harder would British classes be than those she was used to?

She quickly found the answer. The history course, as Aubrey soon realized, covered British history mainly, along with other main European countries. She had only been taught American history. Stupid textbooks. Professor Berkins rambled on and on for the fifty minutes of class time. Aubrey nearly shouted an 'Amen' when the bell rang as she jumped out of her seat and grabbed her backpack.

"American, aye?" asked the boy who sat in front of her, turning. Aubrey nodded. A few other students lingered as well. The Meath boy held out his hand. "Jaquis Meath."

"Aubrey Ne--Moore," said Aubrey, shaking his hand. A girl with long, black hair pulled back into a ponytail extended a hand as well.

"Ursula Hastings," she said. Aubrey shook her hand with a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"Pleasure. Which class do you take now?" asked Ursula. Aubrey looked at her schedule.

"Chemistry," she said. "With...McGill."

"I have that as well," said Jaquis.

"Could you go there with me? I don't know where it is...or where anything is..." said Aubrey. Jaquis nodded.

"No problem," he said.

They walked into the hallway, which, once again, bugged Aubrey with it's eerie walls devoid of lockers. The Hastings girl, Ursula, said goodbye and walked off to another classroom. Aubrey remained close to Jaquis, avoiding the looks of the other students out of nerves.

"What's Registration?" she asked, remembering the odd schedule. The fair-haired boy turned his hazel eyes to her.

"You don't have it in America?" he asked. Aubrey shook her head. "It...well...it's hard to explain...do you read _Harry Potter_?"

"Who doesn't?" asked Aubrey.

"Well...it's how the Gryffindors were lead by McGonagall, you know? You're assigned a teacher when you're eleven who's supposed to keep up with your records and grades, and you go to their classroom at the beginning of the day so they can check who's here and who's skiving off. Same thing after lunch since some students leave the campus."

"Oh," said Aubrey, nodding. "I get it."

"Do you know who your teacher is?" asked Jaquis. Aubrey's fingers fumbled with her bag as she reached for her schedule.

"Edeson," she said. Jaquis shook his head.

"Good luck with that." Aubrey rounded on him.

"What does that mean?" she asked. He grinned at her.

"Oh, the students under his Registration are...well...you'll see," he said.

"Obnoxious?"

"You could say that, yes," said Jaquis with a laugh.

Chemistry turned out to be taught by a batty Scottish man named McGill who seemed brilliant and imaginative, but turned out to be quite accident prone. A bad trait for someone dealing with unstable chemicals. After the class ended, the students filed rather quickly into the hall to escape the smoke that had begun to issue from one of the beakers.

"Wonderful mind, horrible coordination. The headmistress won't be happy about this. She's been on his case for years. He won't be sacked, though. He's too smart for that," said Jaquis as they walked out of the building into the courtyard. Aubrey fidgeted in her blazer.

"I hate uniforms," she mumbled. He looked at her.

"You don't have uniforms in your schools over there?" he asked.

"Only rich kids at rich schools," said Aubrey. "And they sometimes don't even bother." She paused. "Do they not use lockers here in Britain?" Jaquis shook his head.

"No, it's just Clemenside. Some other schools use lockers."

"Seems stupid not to use them," grumbled Aubrey. "My back is killing me with all these books."

Before Jaquis could reply, a dark green blur tackled him from behind and the two went sprawling on the grass. Aubrey stood awkwardly, watching as a crowd began to form around the fighting figures. A chant began to form.

"Brockwood!" someone yelled. Immediately the students dispersed, running off in all directions. Jaquis hurriedly got to his feet, brushing himself off. Next to him, his assaulter was laughing.

"I scared you so bad! You should have seen the look on your face!" he said. He had scruffy brown hair that was even more ruffled from the brawl, and hazel eyes that shifted subtly in the light from green to orange.

"I saw you coming a mile away, Kurt," mumbled Jaquis.

"Not a chance," said the other boy. "And I would have kicked your fu--"

"You would have kicked his what, Mr. Davies?" came a brusque voice. Aubrey jumped and whirled around to see a rather short woman with mousy brown hair standing in front of them with her arms crossed. Though she was shorter than all three of them, her stance was intimidating. Kurt immediately donned a wide grin.

"Ah, hello Professor Brockwood," he said in a voice slathered with honey. "I was just telling Mr. Meath that I would have kicked his...erm...freezer. He was telling me how it wasn't working no matter what they did, so I suggested that he kick it." The woman looked at him with sarcastic eyes. He shrugged. "It happens."

"I'll let you off with a warning. Any more fighting and you'll wind up suspended," said the woman. Her eyes moved over Jaquis, settling on Aubrey. Her lips spread in a kind smile. "Hello, you must be the new transfer from America."

"Aubrey...Moore," said Aubrey, shaking the woman's hand.

"Hello Aubrey. I am Professor Brockwood, headmistress of Clemenside," said the woman. Aubrey mustered a smile.

"Hello," she said.

"Have you been enjoying the United Kingdom so far?" continued the headmistress. Aubrey nodded. "Is it very different from America?"

"Yeah...it's uh...nice though..." said Aubrey awkwardly. The teacher nodded, satisfied with the answer. Aubrey gave a sidelong glance to Jaquis, who was standing abnormally straight still in the presence of the teacher. She continued, "And Jaquis has been a most helpful guide. Very welcoming."

"Has he now? Well keep up the good work Mr. Meath. Mr. Davies, you would do well to follow his example. I don't doubt that I'll see you later this afternoon in detention." Her voice turned to a drone at the end. Kurt struck up a smile and gave an innocent shrug. The headmistress turned and walked away, changing her course as she spotted the very disheveled Prof. McGill stumbling out of the building.

"Oi, who's that?" asked Kurt, elbowing Jaquis and pointing at Aubrey, who crossed her arms.

"You could talk to _me_, you know," she said matter-of-factly.

"What if I don't want to?" asked Kurt.

"Then you wouldn't be asking about me," replied Aubrey, smirking.

"Kurt, this is Aubrey, Aubrey, Kurt," said Jaquis in a monotone. Kurt's expression brightened and he held out a hand that Aubrey took and shook hard. She didn't like Kurt that much.

"What do you have next?" he asked, turning to Jaquis.

"Phys. Ed," replied the boy. He raised an eyebrow. "Kurt you have that class too...you've had it since September." Kurt grinned.

"I needed to hear you say it," he said annoyingly. Aubrey took out her schedule and looked at it.

"I have French," she said. A question popped into her head as they had been all day. "Do you all take Spanish over here?"

"Yes," said Kurt.

"Why?" asked Aubrey. "You're not next to a Spanish country."

"We still take it," said Jaquis. A bell rang somewhere in the school and the students filed back inside. Jaquis bid goodbye to Aubrey and headed off with Kurt down a long hallway to what Aubrey guessed to be the gym. She, herself, walked down to the room where French was to be held.

Ursula Hastings turned out to be in her class, and she made another cheerful greeting. The girl Aubrey had asked for directions that morning was in the class as well. Her name was Iris Drennan and it turned out that she lived quite close to Aubrey. Within walking distance.

Before anything else about the two girls could be discovered, however, the teacher strode in. Madame DeWitte was a nice enough woman. She had lived in France for part of her life before moving to Britain, and her parents were both French. Aubrey found the miniature guillotine that was tucked away on a shelf in the corner of the classroom rather funny.

Both of Aubrey's new friends were in her gym class. She did not have to play this day, just like it had been in Forks. Her heart throbbed at the memory of the beloved town. Marek's face rose into her mind along with memorable memories of countess sessions in his fiery car. She beat them down into a box at the back of her mind before the tears welling in her eyes could overpower her.

He would be in Forks by now...

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	11. The Proposal

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**Sorry about not updating for months at a time, but school's been very hellish and I've been busy. Plus it's hard to run a story completely on OC's. But fear not, I have not abandoned this fic and left it for the dogs. Thank you for remaining loyal!**

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Aubrey spent her lunchtime with the girls Ursula and Iris. As they chatted on about relationships within the school and their own past experiences, Aubrey remained silent, chewing away at her sandwich. She had felt this way at the start of school in Forks too. Newcomers to the school took time to adjust, but after a month or so they would have personal experiences that others would remember as well.

Jaquis had gone with the ever-obnoxious Kurt to play soccer...or...football...with the other boys. Aubrey sighed. The words here were different. Americans and English spoke the same language, but sometimes it seemed as if they were completely foreign. But the soccer/football argument was the most common word misconception. Aubrey made a note not to mix them up in the presence of a die-hard sports fan unless she wanted to have an hour-long argument.

After the lunch bell rang, the rest of the day seemed to slip by fairly quicker than the morning. However, Registration, though it was only five minutes, seemed like an hour. Indeed, it seemed that Edeson's class was the worst. The funny thing was, Kurt Davies was in it.

"Well well well, Miss American Pie is here," he called out from the doorway as he entered the chaotic room. Aubrey was leaning up against a wall, watching a group of about five boys betting on who could jump over a desk without hitting it. So far, none of them had succeeded. Several heads looked up at the call and they shot curious and, in one boy's case, mischievous looks in her direction. Kurt strolled over to her.

"Davies!" called an exasperated Mr. Edeson from the desk where he was checking off a list of names.

"Alive and well, thank you!" Kurt shouted back at the teacher. He leaned an arm up against the wall conversationally. "Hello Miss America."

"Hello...is it Karp?" asked Aubrey sarcastically. Kurt smirked and took his arm off of the wall.

"Looks as if you've already gotten the Headmistress' favor," he said. Aubrey shrugged.

"I doubt it. She didn't look very favorable," she said. Kurt laughed and crossed his arms.

"There seems to be some tension between us," he said, "though I can think of nothing I have done to deserve such. But, like the gentleman that I am, I suggest a truce to your hatred of me. What do you say?" Aubrey considered him. He had really done nothing to deserve her coolness towards him. It made a twinge of guilt twist her insides. She gave a small smile and took his hand.

"Truce," she said. Kurt smiled.

"Good. Now, if you're not doing anything later this week, Jaquis and I are going to check out the old Hall. Care to join us?"

"What's the old Hall?"

"It's this abandoned place a few hours away in the country. Realtors haven't touched it in decades. They say it's haunted." His eyes widened in emphasis. Aubrey shrugged. As if anything could scare her. After all, she had vampires for friends. Keyword 'had'. Kurt went on. "Don't worry. If you get too scared, you'll have Jaquis and I to protect you."

"Sure," said Aubrey sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "I'll go."

"Brilliant," said Kurt. He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper and a pen. "Write down your phone number and address and we'll pick you up late on Friday." Aubrey complied with his wishes. The bell rang and the students funneled off into the hallway. Kurt left Aubrey with a wave and she turned her attention to finding her way to Calculus.

Unfortunately for Aubrey, the British math skills as a whole were about two levels above her own, leading the teacher to suggest that she acquire a tutor as soon as she could. Math had never been her best subject anyway, she reasoned mentally. Then it was Literature, where the works were British and Aubrey was once again clueless. Another suggestion for a tutor. Another inch her heart sank.

The final bell had never sounded so sweet. Aubrey stood and picked up her bag before the ringing had even stopped. She joined the crowd in the hallway and started for the door. Nobody familiar passed her sight before she reached the courtyard. She didn't have to look long for the car.

Guy was leaning up against the side of the vehicle; his icy blue gaze focused on his little sister as she crossed the lawn. He himself was attracting the stares of quite a few girls who were exiting the school as well, but he did not seem to notice them. Aubrey walked up to him and the corners of his mouth twitched in a smirk.

"Don't you look sexy?" he said sarcastically. Aubrey narrowed her eyes as her hand unconsciously tugged at her dark green sweatshirt.

"Shut up. I haven't had a good day," she said. Guy laughed and opened the passenger's door for her before walking to the other side of the car and climbing in. Guy took a deep breath and started the car, pressing gently down on the gas. Aubrey regarded the scene through the window drowsily. Her brow furrowed. "Wrong side of the road," she said. Guy cursed and switched lanes, turning somewhat apprehensively as they entered traffic.

"I've been invited out," said Aubrey after a while. Guy glanced at her.

"Really?" he asked. "But what about--"

"It's not a guy," Aubrey interjected. Not entirely true. It was two guys.

"And where are you intending to go out to?" he asked.

"There's a haunted house in the countryside they say," said Aubrey.

"And when is this outing?"

"Friday night."

"And what does Jack say?"

"Don't know yet," said Aubrey. Guy snuck a sidelong glance before they turned onto a highway and nearly hit oncoming traffic before he remembered to change to the opposite side of the road. They spoke no more until they safely reached home.

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	12. The Returned

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**I felt like putting a Marek chapter in there since the new country and all was sorta boring for the time being. So yeah, enjoy!**

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A shock of lightning split the sky, casting a shadow onto the empty floor of the house. The wind blew the rain through the open doorway and it had begun to form a shallow puddle on the floor. Thunder cracked up in the sky and lightning followed. The shadow was gone. The door swung closed.

Banging echoed down the back hallway from the room at the far east end. Not a second later the sounds emanated from the room opposite. Then it was back in the main room. Handprint after handprint appeared on the walls too fast to see, but they stayed there, sopping cold rainwater sliding down the white paint. A figure appeared in the center of the room. It was Marek.

Water dripped from every inch of him and his pale skin seemed to glow in the darkness. A curtain of dark hair slick from the rain stuck to his forehead and covered his eyes. Another flash of lightning lit the room, illuminating his golden eyes. They showed pain; anger and pain. He sank to the floor, his palms open, face up on his knees.

"Gone..." he said. His voice was strained, clearly displaying the storm of emotion inside of him. He gulped, his shoulders racking in a sob that didn't show on his face. "Gone?" It was a question now. The open palms turned to fists. Marek was suddenly on his feet, and then he was gone.

Gone, but not gone. The distraught young man had taken to his heels and sped down the street. He froze three miles away not a minute later and sniffed. His shoulders hunched and he lowered his posture into a defensive crouch, his head moving from side to side. The butterscotch eyes pierced the forest scenery, searching. A minute passed. Marek straightened, cast one last look around, and took off at unimaginable speed once again.

The door to Thriftway opened and an invisible bell rang. The pretty blonde at the register desk looked up. Her jaw went slack, exposing the pink wad of gum she had been chewing, as she spotted the customer. Marek approached her, pushing his dank, dark hair out of his eyes. His lips split in a dazzling smile, and from the instant the first tooth showed, the girl was under his spell.

"May I...help...you?" she asked in a quavering voice. Marek leaned up on the counter, looking deep into her eyes.

"Yes, I was wondering if you'd ever heard of anyone by the name of Neils," he said in a low voice. The girl nodded.

"Yeah, Jack Neils used to come in here all the time," she said.

"Used to?"

"Oh, they moved. Everyone's been talking about it. Apparently Jack's son showed up and the next thing you know they've packed up and left. Nobody knows where they went. Jack hasn't even called." She would have normally pouted with those last words, but she was too distracted by the gorgeous creature in front of her to remember any of Jack's old charm. Marek expelled a sigh and turned his head towards the window. The woman seemed to be calculating his good looks. "Are you one of the Cullens?" she asked. His eyes turned back to her.

"No," he said, his teeth gritted in anger. The woman furrowed her brow.

"Sorry...I didn't mean anything bad by it..."

"Are you sure there is absolutely no one who knows where they went?" he asked.

"It's kind of like the Barnes'," she said. Marek straightened and looked away at the door, but the woman continued. "They were my neighbors. One day they were out by the mailbox telling me about their plans for Christmas and the next their house is empty and they've moved to Missouri. I don't think that's what happened though, because mail still comes for them and it's not sent back. Letters from their son..."

Marek walked out of the Thriftway, leaving the woman talking to thin air. He stayed at normal speed as he walked along the street, brooding. Suddenly he froze, sniffing again. His head turned to the side slowly, apprehensively. There was a monstrous growl and a massive creature leapt out of the trees, bowling him over. The long, dark, soaking fur of the creature let off a reek that Marek knew well. Wolf. He hissed loudly and braced his hands and feet against the wolf's body, throwing it off. It flew ten feet in the air and landed hard on the street. And then it was back on its feet, lips peeled back over its long, jagged teeth. Marek held up his hands.

"Truce!" he yelled over the clap of thunder that shook the ground. "The treaty! I've done nothing!" The wolf snapped its jaws, its hair standing on end. "Go back to your reservation, Quileute! I mean no threat!" That earned him a growl from the creature as it raised its haunches. Marek backed up a few steps. The wolf didn't follow. He turned and ran, leaving the creature far behind him on the road. In no time he had reached Aubrey's house again.

He locked the door behind him with a hairpin and paused when he heard it click. Aubrey was gone. Gone without a trace. He turned to face the empty room, then he walked back into the hallway and from there into her room. No furniture remained. Not one poster. A single scratch was visible etched into the paint on the wall, but aside from that there was no evidence that a girl named Aubrey had ever resided here.

Marek sat down and leaned up against a wall. His arms were limp, resting on his legs as he stared at the blind-covered window. They were gone, but why? Aubrey couldn't have gone willingly. Marek knew her. She wouldn't have left on her own. He paused. Perhaps she had gotten scared. Vampires did tend to be more on the dangerous side. But the Quileutes breaking the treaty...what if they had driven her out? He had a mind to go find Bella, but the nagging little voice in the back of his head that was his conscience told him not to. Edward had chosen to abandon her for her own good, and judging by the horrid state he had been for the time Marek saw him, it was better that he have results from his suffering.

He would sit and wait. Aubrey would have to come back. She would find a way. Marek didn't know what to do. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do. So for now he would wait. Sit and wait. Until something happened...

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	13. The Defiance

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**Jaquis, for all you who might have this wrong, is pronounced JAY-KISS. It's not a real name, I know, but hey, his parents were weird. **

**I hope you've all noticed that I'm doing an extensive revision of **_**Coming Sunset**_** that is differentiating it from Mrs. Meyer's book, as I have looked back and found it overly similar. A few details have been changed and they have been improved structurally and grammatically. Please go back and reread it sometime, but I'm only a few chapters in with the revision and you can probably find the cutoff.**

**I have been working on this for forever! It's long and it covers a big gap in the storyline, so please, enjoy and review!**

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Aubrey became somewhat more accustomed to her school over the next few days. Though the workload remained the same, the people had become more familiar to her. Mr. Edeson had talked her into getting a tutor for nearly every class. Jack hadn't been too happy when he received the email at his work. Aubrey wasn't complaining though, as her tutor looked quite similar to Orlando Bloom. The only downside was that he reminded her of Marek as well. She left their sessions often without a dry eye.

And now it was Friday, the day of the trip to the Hall. Jack still didn't know of Aubrey's plans. She'd _forgotten_ to fill him in. Lunch had just ended at Clemenside and Edeson's registration class had turned their attention to wrestling. Desks had been cleared aside in the center of the room and a crowd had gathered around, chanting and passing money notes around as two young men wrestled on the hardwood. Mr. Edeson called out names over the jeering and catcalls and was answered by crude responses shouted from the crowd. Aubrey was leaning up against the familiar wall space in the back of the room, regarding the brawling boys with bored interest.

"Miss American Pie," said a voice next to her. She smirked.

"Sir Karpus Christie," she replied, sticking her tongue out at Kurt. He raised an eyebrow.

"What does that even mean?" he asked.

"That's for me to know and you to not," said Aubrey. Kurt let out a highly sarcastic laugh.

"You're still coming tonight, aren't you?" he inquired. Aubrey nodded, ignoring the tap of guilt in the back of her head reminding her about Jack.

"I wouldn't miss a haunted castle," she said. Kurt crossed his arms at her tone, looking her in the eye.

"What? You don't believe that it's haunted?" he asked. Aubrey gave him a look that said plainly 'you're not serious'. He shook his head. "It's true. You could ask anyone here. Not a single one would dare go out there." He looked around and spotted a red-haired, freckled boy who was jeering at the wrestlers. "Oi! Umber!" he shouted. The boy turned.

"What?" he shouted back.

"I wager you £200 that you can't last one night in the Hall!" Kurt challenged. A strange expression overcast the boy's freckled face. His mouth turned into a thin line and his eyes went cold. It looked like fear.

"Do you think I'm a complete ass? Only an idiot would go to the Hall, day or night!" he called. A wrestling competitor stood and was jerked back to the ground by his opponent and the redhead's attention was recaptured. Aubrey frowned at his answer, but Kurt looked pleased.

"What did I tell you?"

"Are you trying to discourage me from going?" asked Aubrey. Kurt shook his head.

"I'm only building up the anticipation," he said, holding up his hands in innocence.

"Davies!"

"In tip top form today, Sir!" Kurt shouted without looking away from Aubrey.

"There's really nothing that can scare me," she said, "after the last place I lived."

"Where did you live?" asked Kurt. Aubrey hesitated. She'd backed herself into a corner. Personal past information was supposed to remain classified. She couldn't say Forks...

"Arkansas," she said. Not entirely a lie, she _had_ lived there.

"Where?" asked Kurt. Aubrey raised an eyebrow.

"It's in the south. By Texas." A smile spread slowly over Kurt's features, and a sense of foreboding shadowed Aubrey's mind.

"Texas, aye?" Then, to Aubrey's horror, he switched his accent for a bad southerner impersonation. "So yer from Arkansaw? I reckon you got yerself a couple cattle down thurr. Yew got yerself a bo yet?"

"Moore!" Mr. Edeson called out tiredly from the desk at the front of the room.

"Oh you're funny," said Aubrey sarcastically. Kurt shrugged.

"I am," he said with a smirk.

"Moore!"

"Modest too I see."

"As always.

"MOORE!"

"Aubrey, they're calling you," said Kurt. Aubrey whipped around.

"I'M RIGHT HERE!" she screeched over the cheering of the wrestlers. She saw Edeson turn back to his form to check off her name. Aubrey let out her breath in a whoosh. Kurt was looking at her.

"A bit out of it, aren't you?" he asked. Aubrey smacked his arm.

"You distracted me," she said. Lie. She'd been waiting for Neils to be called.

Before Kurt could retort, the bell rang and Mr. Edeson shoved the students towards the door in relief. In the compressing mass of students, Aubrey caught a last word.

"We'll come by around 7."

"Gotchya," she replied to the general mass.

The rest of the day passed quickly. This completely went against the 'The-More-You-Want-It-The-Slower-It-Approaches' rule, but that was easily explainable. Jack still had to be told. The stress of the Witness Protection Program and the fact that they drove on the other side of the road in England were wearing down Jack's nerves so that his temper was just a question away from arising fully blown and snapping.

Guy was leaning on his truck outside at the end of the lawn like he had every other day that week. Aubrey smiled and waved as she walked over. Guy uncrossed his arms and opened the door for her silently. Instantly, she was suspicious, fixing him with a look as she climbed up into the cab. Guy walked around and stepped into the driver's seat. They had noticed that the driver's seat was on the opposite side of the car in all of the other cars that terrorized the highways, but their truck had been flown in from Forks. "All the better to cuss out the bad drivers hogging the road next to you at red lights," Jack had said. They had turned out onto the highway when Aubrey spoke.

"Something's wrong isn't it?" she asked. Guy didn't look at her.

"He's not in Forks anymore," he said. Aubrey looked at him.

"Do you think he followed us here?" she asked. Guy shrugged.

"They know he caught a plane to New York after us, but where he went from there they're not sure. He could have caught a plane to Scotland or Ireland and commuted over here. We don't know where he is, Aubrey."

"Are we going to move again?" she asked, genuine fear behind her words. Guy didn't answer, but his mouth tightened into a small line. Aubrey got the message. She looked out of the window with hopelessness. If they kept moving, then there was no chance of Marek ever finding her.

Back in Suburbia the hours passed slowly. Aubrey finished her homework so that her father would not be able to use that as an excuse. She showered and watched a little bad TV, all the time biting her lip over what Jack might say. She had never worried about his reaction to a request before, but regarding the last time he had said no...well, that hadn't ended well. And the stress from the move would probably set his accept-o-meter needle leaning to no. Guy had disappeared shortly after they had arrived, locking himself away in Jack's room with his ear glued to a phone.

When the front door finally opened, Aubrey jumped to her feet and walked out of the den into the narrow front hall. Jack sat on the staircase with his shoes hanging on the very tips of his toes. He looked immensely tired. Aubrey leaned casually on the banister and gave him a smile.

"How was work?" she asked cheerily. Jack slowly moved his bloodshot eyes to meet her gaze.

"Spectacular," he said in a flat, uncharismatic voice. Bad day. Bad sign.

"I had a question to ask you," said Aubrey. Jack didn't speak. Aubrey went on, "These kids from school invited me out for tonight and I was wondering if I could go."

"Where are you going?" asked Jack.

"They say they've found a haunted house, and since I'm the ultimate authority on anything _remotely_ supernatural for obvious reasons, I want to go and check it out."

"And who are you going with?" asked Jack.

"Friends from school, I just told you."

"Do these friends have names?"

"Umm...Jaquis Meath and Kurtis Davies," said Aubrey.

"No," said Jack. Aubrey's jaw dropped in fury.

"What? Why not!" she demanded.

"So it's unfair that I'm not letting you go out to a deserted house late at night with two boys you barely know," asked Jack mockingly. Aubrey let out a frustrated sigh.

"Do you think I would trust them if they were like that?" she asked.

"Look, we've been here for too short a time. I don't even know these boys and you can't possibly know them well by now. I just don't feel good about it, Aubrey. My answer is no." Aubrey stared at him, her jaw open in disbelief and anger. She turned and stomped off into the den, leaving her father alone on the stairs. Guy brushed past her, his face turning to watch her stalk off before he walked over to Jack.

Aubrey flopped onto the threadbare couch, crossing her arms and ankles in a huff. Did Jack not know how much she needed to get out of the house? She couldn't look at the phone without thinking of Marek. She couldn't look out at the yard without thinking of Marek. The couch she sat on even at that moment; it was the very same one she and Marek had kissed on, watching _Romeo and Juliet_ just a few weeks before. Anything they had moved from Forks to England held memories of Marek, and Aubrey could not escape the pain that hit along with the memories. She needed to get out.

"Declined the princess her request, did you?" Guy's voice floated through the walls. Aubrey rolled her eyes. The walls of this new house were far thinner than in her old house in Forks. Aubrey glanced at the clock. 6:56. They would be outside to pick her up at any minute.

"She'll live..." mumbled Jack with a sigh. "I'm going to bed. I'll eat dinner tomorrow..."

"This early? You really must've been working," said Guy. Aubrey heard her father's laugh followed by footsteps landing heavily on the stairs. An idea suddenly formed itself in Aubrey's mind. Slowly she stood, stretching out her limbs as she walked out into the hallway. She nearly ran into Guy in the doorframe.

"I'm going up," she said, pointing at the stairs. "Try to get more sleep. I didn't get any at _all_ last night." Guy nodded.

"You sure you don't want dinner?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm still full from lunch..."

"'Night then," said Guy.

"Night," replied Aubrey with a wave, starting up the first few steps. She stopped mid-step when she noticed her brother staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing," said Guy, turning and walking into the kitchen. Aubrey raised her eyebrows and ran the rest of the way up the stairs.

There were four rooms upstairs. At the far end of the hall, Jack had claimed the southwest room. There was a restroom directly opposite the stairway, and Guy had taken the lone room at the other end of the building. The room between Jack's and the stairway on the wall nearest the street belonged to Aubrey. The door to this room had not yet even swung shut before the window on the opposite side was being pried open by the room's inhabitant. Aubrey stuck her head out into the twilight and craned her neck to look down the street. No cars yet.

She listened for a moment. A few bleeps echoed up through the floor. Guy was watching TV. A cop show it sounded like. Aubrey sighed through her teeth in relief and looked down the side of the house for a foothold. It was a straight shot down, but there was a row of large, bushy bushes below. Aubrey hesitated, judging how many injuries she might sustain and how she would excuse them away. Then, she took a sharp breath and climbed up onto the window, never hesitating for even a second before she jumped.

The bushes worked...for the most part. Aubrey rolled out of the little garden bed onto the fresh, green lawn and breathed steadily, assessing her damages. The wind was knocked out of her chest and her arm had hit the house as she fell. Nothing too serious seemed to be amiss. She got to her feet and looked back at the house. The only windows that faced the yard were Aubrey's window, one set into the front door, and a high semicircle window across from the top of the staircase. Nobody was looking. She was in the clear.

Aubrey quickly ran to the street and began to make her way towards the main road. She couldn't risk that the sound of the car might be heard over the TV. Paper-thin walls came with a downside as well. Aubrey stopped three houses from the corner, sitting on the sidewalk.

An old, well-worn, red car with a black stripe that Aubrey took to be, by reading its unfamiliar logo, a Vauxhall turned the corner and Aubrey recognized Kurt in the passenger seat. She stood and waved to get their attention and they pulled up to the curb. Kurt rolled down the window with a smug grin set in place.

"In the back," he ordered. Aubrey didn't have the humor to retort. She climbed into the back of the sedan and shut the door behind her.

"Thought you were at number eight?" said Jaquis, turning the car into a driveway and backing back out to face the road. Aubrey turned her attention to a cardboard box on the floor of the car as she answered.

"Decided to save you the fuel," she said. Her brow furrowed as she picked up the box and set it on the seat beside her, rummaging through it. Five flashlights, a tin of bandaids, two lighters, and a pair of walkie-talkies lay haphazardly inside. Aubrey moved two of the flashlights aside and uncovered a five-inch knife in a leather holster. She looked up at the front. "What is all this stuff?"

"Well the house _is_ abandoned," said Kurtis.

"So?"

"So it has been for quite a while. No electricity, no heat. And it's bloody huge, so if we split up--"

"That's just tempting a haunting. Haven't you seen the movies? Splitting up in a haunted house is not a good thing," said Aubrey.

"You scared already?" Kurt asked, twisting around in his seat to look at her.

"I don't even know what it is I'm supposed to be scared _of_," laughed Aubrey. "What's the haunt story of the Hall?" The boys exchanged looks.

"Well, originally the Hall was ordered to be constructed by a baron back in medieval times. He and his Italian wife lived in it for a time. Then--"

"Then a man from town went to the Hall to see the baron, and when he walked inside, the baron and his wife were dead on the floor lying in deep red pools of blood with their veins all pulled out of their wrists and necks and their insides laced over their cold bodies like decapitated jellyfish on the victims of Jaws!" interjected Kurt. Aubrey stared at him.

"People began to bid on the property," Jaquis continued, ignoring Kurt. "The winner was a lonely old Romanian marquis. He moved into the Hall, but he never came out after that first entrance. Someone went in to look around, but he didn't come out either. So the property belongs to the government. They haven't tried to sell it since." He paused, glancing at Kurt. "But about a century ago the people that lived nearest to the Hall said that they heard animal roars coming from that direction along with booms that sounded like explosions. When they looked out at the Hall, they could see smoke rising from the inside. Nobody bothered to investigate."

"Because there was nobody there to investigate. No people to this day! The place is deserted!"

"How do you know?" asked Aubrey.

"Noland Erikson," said Kurt. "Football athlete from the seventies. The Hall had been inactive for fifty years, so he accepted a dare to run through the Hall on Halloween yelling at the top of his lungs. He did, and he survived. Bravest guy I've ever heard of."

"Where is he now?" asked Aubrey. Kurt shrugged.

"Hell if I know. But nobody's dared go in since anyway. We're the first in fifty years!" Aubrey felt her stomach flop suddenly.

"And why did you ask me to come?" she asked, looking at Kurt. Kurt glanced at Jaquis before replying.

"Well, we figured this would count as your initiation to this country," he said. "It's better than what we would normally do."

"What would you normally do?" asked Aubrey. The boys laughed and Aubrey took that as the best answer she would get.

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	14. The Hall

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**Guys, this is the last chapter before the time skip. There was going to be more, but I think I'll explain it through backflash in the next chapter. This thing took me like two or three days to write, so be happy, enjoy, scream if you like. Have a ball in the Hall :D**

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"Here," called Jaquis, tossing Aubrey a flashlight. She caught it against her chest and flicked it on.

"Don't turn it on yet. It's still light out. You don't want to waste the battery, trust me," said Kurt. Aubrey clicked the button again and the light vanished. Each of the boys took two flashlights, a walkie-talkie, and a lighter. Jaquis was tucking the knife into his pocket when Aubrey found her voice.

"Hey, shouldn't I get that?" she asked. Both of the boys looked at her. "Well both of you have everything else."

"We brought these from our own houses," said Kurt. Jaquis, however, retrieved the knife and handed it to Aubrey handle first.

"No, she's right. If we're splitting up, she'll have to go with one of us, but if she gets separated from us both, she at least needs the best means of protection," he said. Aubrey tucked the knife into her jeans pocket as Kurt muttered something inaudible under his breath.

They had parked on the side of the dirt road that led to the Hall, but far enough down that only the top of the castle could be seen over the surrounding trees. According to Jaquis, it was a five minute walk to the front gate still, but they wouldn't dare drive their only means of escape that close to the Hall.

The grating calls of insects filled their ears as they strode along the road between two walls of dense trees. Distantly, the hoot of an owl echoed to their ears. Aubrey looked at Jaquis.

"Did the Romanian marquis die?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Nobody knows. He just disappeared. Never even came to the town for supplies once."

"You think he would've needed to eat," said Kurt. Aubrey felt her mind jump with familiarity of the concept. No need to eat.

"Are there any haunted houses in America?" asked Jaquis, turning to Aubrey. She paused, and then felt a smile stretch her features. The Cullen house. A white house in the middle of the woods in Forks, completely inhabited by vampires.

"There are," she said.

"Have you seen any?" asked Kurt. Aubrey nodded, still smiling.

"There was one in the town I lived in last," she said. "Supposedly haunted by vampires."

"Did you go in the house?" asked Jaquis.

"Yeah, with a friend," said Aubrey. _Marek_. At his name, two emotions emerged. One, blissful serenity. The other, twisted agony. Her eyes fell to the ground as they glossed over.

"Did you see any?" asked Kurt eagerly. Aubrey snorted through her tears. If she could only tell them how much she'd seen back in Forks...

"Yeah, made out with one, too," she said. "He was pretty hot." The boys snorted and didn't press the subject.

The road rounded the trees and came to a stop in front of two, vertically barred gates of the blackest iron. An incredibly ancient, rusted padlock and chain held them together. They were hinged to a white, stone wall that encircled the castle, guarding it from prying outsiders. Aubrey had to crane her neck to see the top. The entire establishment was constructed of the same white stone as the wall, built in a single, round tower that rose from a square base building.

"Aubrey, come on," said Kurt. She turned back to the gates.

"It's locked," she stated. Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Well-spotted," he said, slipping through the bars with ease. Aubrey felt her ears turn red at her stupidity. Of course the bars would allow them to pass through; they had to be at least eight inches apart. She walked to the gate and turned to pass through. Kurt crossed his arms. "You sure you're not too fat to fit through?" he teased. Aubrey stepped through and launched herself onto him, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey!" yelled Jaquis, slipping through the bars as he ran to break up the fight. He managed to pull Aubrey off of Kurt, who sat up, laughing.

"Ooohh, Miss America's a feisty one," he teased.

"Shut up, Kurt." Jaquis rolled his eyes and pushed Aubrey along to the front staircase of the Hall, leaving his friend to get to his feet on his own.

A short, but wide set of stairs led to four tall archways set into the wall of the building. Through the archways was a large courtyard made of sandstone, but surrounded by the same white stone walls that built up the rest of the establishment. Aubrey examined the brick patterns of the ground as they walked through an archway. A ledge jutted from the main tower of the Hall opposite the archway wall. Aubrey had a brief vision of a dictator-type figure standing on the ledge, yelling wildly into a crowd of cheering, black-clad supporters gathered in the small, square courtyard of stone.

Aubrey whirled around as Kurt strode past her. He smacked Jaquis on the shoulder, drawing his attention, and nodded at the large door at the other end of the courtyard. They walked up the short staircase and pulled on the wrought-iron handle. The large, oak door swung open easily. Aubrey narrowed her eyes as she walked to the door behind her companions.

"The hinges aren't even rusty," she said quietly. Kurtis and Jaquis followed her gaze.

"The ghosts must like to keep their doors well oiled," laughed Kurt, pulling the door back further. Aubrey met Jaquis's eyes and saw that Kurt's good humor did not extend very far.

As expected, it was dark as pitch inside of the Hall. All three intruders simultaneously pulled out their flashlights and clicked them on. The entrance hall was large, square, and high-ceilinged with a floor of white marble and two black staircases that wound up to connect at the second floor. Below them was a single, black and white, domed hallway that stretched back into darkness. They shined their flashlights along the walls and found that identical domed hallways branched off of both sides of the hall. Tapestries adorned the walls and five-foot, iron candelabras dotted the room. Aubrey walked up to one of these and stared at the candle-holders.

"These are bulbs," she said. "They're wired...I thought this place didn't have electricity."

"Nobody could have set it up...nobody's been inside..." said Jaquis, walking over to confirm Aubrey's discovery. Kurt guided his light around the room, becoming bored.

"Split up time," he said. Jaquis and Aubrey looked at him.

"Who gets Aubrey?" asked Jaquis. Kurt shrugged and they both turned to her.

"Well I don't care who I go with. Who needs protection most?" She and Jaquis turned to Kurt with identical smirks.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he retorted.

"It's settled then. Aubrey goes with Kurtis," said Jaquis. "Upstairs or down?"

"Down," said Kurt, glaring.

"Meet back here when you've circled the floor," said Jaquis. They turned on the walkie-talkies and Jaquis took off up one of the ebony staircases while Kurt and Aubrey walked across the marble into one of the side hallways.

The walls were ominously bare in the pale light of the flashlights as Kurt and Aubrey flashed them over the walls. Every few feet, an enclosed lamp on a long, iron chain hung from the ceiling. There were no switches to be seen.

"So did you really see any vampires back where you were from?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Aubrey. "I said I did."

"I thought you were just joking." His voice held no hint of teasing now. He was truly interested.

"Nope."

"You said you saw them with a friend?" he asked. Aubrey bit her lip.

"My boyfriend," she said, feeling her heart drop a few feet at the thought of Marek.

"Boyfriend? You had a boyfriend?" asked Kurt.

"Have," corrected Aubrey. "We technically never broke up."

"Have you been calling him long distance then?" asked Kurt. Aubrey didn't answer right away.

"I haven't talked to him at all since I left," she said. "I can't."

"Why not?"

_"Hey,"_ buzzed a voice. Kurt looked away from Aubrey and took the walkie-talkie from his pocket.

"Yup?"

_"Find anything?"_ asked Jaquis.

"It's just a spooky old hallway," said Kurt.

_"I'll check back in a minute then,"_ replied Jaquis's voice. Kurt stuffed the device back into his jeans.

The hallway they were in led off into a large den, complete with stone fireplace and an ancient-looking couch. It looked just as deserted as the empty hallway they had just left. Aubrey glanced at Kurt, searching for something to take her mind off of the pain of Marek's absence.

"So what about you?" she asked. "Involved with anyone?"

"They come and go," said Kurt.

"Oh, so you're the devoted type I see."

"For sure." Aubrey waved her light over the ceiling.

"What about Jaquis? Does he have a honey bunches of oats yet?" she asked. Kurt laughed.

"Jake? No way. He's the type that likes to stay in the 'just friends' position. I think he'll be well out of college before he even thinks about dating," he said. Aubrey raised her eyebrows.

"Jeez, I can't imagine doing that," she said.

"I don't know how he manages it," agreed Kurt. Aubrey flashed her light over a corner and her eyes narrowed.

"Have you noticed that there's no dust anywhere in this place?" she asked. "No cobwebs at all either."

"What?" Kurt waved his light over the room. He ducked back into the hallway to take a second look. "You're right, but that would mean that this place is still...inhabited..."

There was a sudden, echoing boom. Aubrey jumped and grabbed onto Kurt's arm. She could see his eyes widen as well. They stood in the following silence, neither of them daring to breathe. Aubrey's fingers tightened on Kurt's arm.

"That was the door," she said finally. Kurt slowly took out his walkie-talkie and held the button down.

"Jake, did you go out the front?" he asked.

_"I thought it was you,"_ answered Jaquis's equally breathless voice.

"No, we're--" Kurt broke off as a louder boom reached their ears.

_"What the hell was that?"_ came Jaquis's voice, panicking.

"The door again. We're in the west wing," said Kurt.

_"Keep moving. I'll meet you in the center chamber. It's back through that hallway under the staircases in the entrance. There has to be another way at the back of the Hall. I'll try and sneak back through the front while you guys go to the back."_

"Right, okay," said Kurt. He looked at Aubrey and his eyes dropped to her hand, which still grasped his arm. Aubrey dropped it immediately, feeling her ears turn red. "Get the knife," said Kurt.

Aubrey withdrew the blade from her pocket, taking in its silver, razor-sharp edge and ominous point. She looked at Kurt, and together they turned their heads to the opposite side of the room. Another domed hallway branched off there, leading into darkness. They walked as one to the entrance, peering into the black.

"Ladies first," offered Kurt. Aubrey didn't humor him.

They walked slowly along the hallway and soon reached a corner where three rooms connected to the hallway; one on their left, one directly in front, and one to their right. Kurt looked at the doors, then at Aubrey.

"Meet Jaquis," he said. Aubrey narrowed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked. His hand had moved towards the handle of the door on the left.

"I just want to see...I just want to look," he said, his fingers touching the brass. Aubrey grabbed his wrist and wrenched it away from the door.

"We can all look together once we find Jaquis," she said. "It was your idea to split up in the first place." Kurt didn't answer.

Aubrey opened the door on the right and they walked inside, Aubrey pulling Kurt along. Her knife was back in her pocket and her flashlight was between two fingers of her door-opening hand. She threw the light once around the room, seeing that it was nothing special. An old dining room, perhaps. Aubrey reached out to open the door at the other end. She turned the knob and pushed. The door didn't budge.

_"Kurt, Aubrey, are you there yet?"_ buzzed Jaquis's voice.

"Not yet, but we're getting close," said Kurt. Aubrey pushed the door again. It didn't move at all.

_"I'm almost back to the stairs. Then I'll--"_ His calm voice broke off in a cry of surprise. There was a crack over the receiver and distant voices.

"Jaquis?" said Kurt into the walkie-talkie. There was no answer. The distant voices continued, mere murmurs through the receiver. Kurt lifted the device to his mouth again. "_Jaquis_," he said louder.

"What happened?" asked Aubrey, her eyes wide. Kurt shoved the walkie-talkie at her.

"Here, move," he said. He twisted the doorknob and threw his body against the door. It gave way a fraction. He launched himself at the door again and it flew open. Aubrey shouted into the walkie-talkie as they ran down the next hallway. An archway approached to their right and they turned through it, jogging into the center chamber of the Hall.

A magnificent chandelier hung from a long, dark chain at the center of the spectacular, distant, domed ceiling. A round pattern spread from the connection point of the chain, spreading over the walls like spiderwebs down to marble, statuesque figures positioned in the square proportionate corners of the chamber. The marble ledges that supported the figures elongated down and blocked out the walls in ornate patterns right down to the white marble floor. An archway of marble opened to domed hallways at the center of each of the four walls. They had come through the western hall. Through the hallway on their right, they could see the grand, oak doors that they had entered the Hall through. Kurt and Aubrey stared at this hallway, flashlights in hand. They stood frozen in fear, Kurt with the knife raised to the ready position. A small, white light was approaching from this hallway.

"Turn off your light," whispered Kurt, flicking off his flashlight. Aubrey followed suit. They waited in the pitch with baited breath. The flashlight and its holder entered the chamber.

"Aubrey, you've no idea how much shit you're in," came an edgy voice filled with anger. Aubrey gulped. It was Guy. He had Jaquis by the arm and held his flashlight in the other hand.

"Guy, I'm sorry, I just--" started Aubrey, but Guy interrupted her, shoving Jaquis towards them. Kurt wordlessly clicked on his flashlight to help illuminate the darkness away.

"And don't think you're the only one. These two are in just as much trouble," he sneered, flashing his light over Kurt and Jaquis's faces. "I got a call a while ago from a Mrs. Meath asking if you three were having a nice _study session_." Aubrey glanced at Jaquis, who looked at the floor guiltily. "Apparently she had given little Jaquis here permission to pick up Kurt and bring him over to our house so you all could study for an English test on Monday. I called Mrs. Davies and she thought that Kurt was going to a movie with Jaquis. She didn't know about you at all. You're all just a bunch of filthy little liars, aren't you? I'm lucky Mrs. Meath knew enough about your twisted interests to give me a lead as to where you went. Wait til I tell her where you've been." His last words were directed at Jaquis and Kurt. He looked back at Aubrey. "You're lucky Jack's dog tired or else he'd be down here himself."

"He's not?" asked Aubrey. She had assumed, after seeing Guy that the other door slam had been caused by her father.

"Mum isn't here, is she?" asked Jaquis. Aubrey knew the same concept was on his mind.

"No, I came alone. Which car belongs to who by the way?" asked Guy. Aubrey, Kurt, and Jaquis stood frozen. Guy searched their faces expectantly. "Well?"

"We came in one car," said Jaquis quietly. Guy blinked, his brow furrowed.

"But I thought this place was deserted," he said. Aubrey gulped.

"It is," she replied.

"We heard the front doors open twice since we've been here," said Jaquis. Guy's anger had disappeared to be replaced by something worse. Fear.

"I just got here," he said, "and I haven't heard a door close..." He looked around the chamber. "Did anyone follow you here?"

"We didn't see anyone," replied Kurt. "Besides, who'd want to follow us if not you?"

Aubrey felt her blood run cold. Her wide, frightened eyes met Guy's icy blue ones, and she could see in his terrified gaze that he knew perfectly well who, just as she did. Guy grabbed her suddenly, holding her close to him.

"We have to get out of here! _Now!_" he ordered. Jaquis and Kurt didn't argue.

They began to run out of the north hallway, their lights dancing wildly on the floor as they sprinted to the entrance hall. The walls seemed to close in on them in their race. The mouth of the hallway grew closer and closer. The freedom was so near they could almost taste it. The sound of their footfalls increased along with their speed. Something suddenly fell from the balcony above just as they reached the entrance hall. They skidded to a stop, staring in horror. Aubrey let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The reason they had left Forks lay sprawled and bleeding on the marble in front of them. His neck and wrists were stained a bright red and his head lay cracked and motionless, hanging to the side. His extremities were bent at sickening angles and his shirt had been ripped open, along with the skin and bones underneath, revealing his organs. His glazed eyes stared past them.

A series of inhuman growls and roars split the silence like a white-hot knife. Guy held Aubrey close as he ran forward towards the oak doors, Jaquis and Kurt in toe. Aubrey flicked her eyes to the sides in time to see a crowd of shadows blossom from the east hallway. Turning her head, she spotted another crowd running from the west. And then they were upon them.

Aubrey was torn from Guy's grasp as a shadowy figure smacked into them, sending them flying. Jaquis reached the door and got safely out, but Aubrey saw three figures fall upon Kurtis from behind, nailing him to the marble. Guy had broken free of his captor and pushed Aubrey towards the doors before running to fight off Kurt's assailants. Aubrey ran out onto the marble steps, but, in a last glance, she caught sight of a white face twisted in insanity. Oak swallowed her vision and she turned back to the marble courtyard as she ran down the steps. The doors opened a last time and Guy sprinted out, Kurt held over one shoulder. Jaquis was waiting for them by the marble archways.

"Kurt! Kurt!" he cried.

"No time! Get to the car! Get there now!" shouted Guy. They ran down the next staircase up to the iron gate. Aubrey looked back from the other side and saw with some surprise that they weren't being followed.

"Here! Take him!" shouted Guy, handing Kurt through the vertical bars to Jaquis. He slipped through and took Kurt once more, holding him in his arms. Aubrey could see Kurt's shoulder bleeding profusely. He was howling something unintelligible, screaming and flailing his arms.

"Get in the car!" shouted Jaquis, unlocking his sedan. "You can come back tomorrow to get yours!" Guy lowered Kurt into the backseat and Aubrey took shotgun. Jaquis slammed the gas before the doors were even closed.

"What's his name? Kurt?" asked Guy, bending over him as he thrashed around in agony. Aubrey was twisted around in her seat, looking on in worry.

"Yeah," she said. Watch out, he's got a knife..."

"No, he dropped it back there," said Guy. "When they tackled him." He tried to take off Kurt's shirt over his head, but he was thrashing too wildly. In the end, he ripped it down the sleeve and stripped it off of him. Aubrey bit her lip as Kurt screamed. Guy was wiping the blood away from the injury. It was small, only a slight gash in the skin. Aubrey couldn't see why it hurt him so much.

"Is he alright?" asked Jaquis in distress.

"I don't understand..." said Guy, looking at the small injury. "He should be fine. He doesn't even need stitches..."

"Is he hurt anywhere else?" asked Jaquis.

"Not that I can see?"

"_IT BURNS!_" Kurt's shrieks were now understandable through his panic. "_IT BURNS! PUT THE FIRE OUT! PUT IT OUT! I CAN'T TAKE IT!_"

Aubrey was staring in silence. Her eyes were wide and her face had drained of all trace of color. She thought back to the last thing she had seen in the Hall. The white face that had stuck out so conspicuously in the shadowed crowd. It had smirked sadistically at her and she had heard Kurtis scream; she remembered the sound as well now. But it was the sight that made her eyes roll back in her head and her body go limp in the seat now. The white face she had seen, so insanely gleeful in the time of terror. It had belonged to Roger.

Marek's words floated back to her through the darkness.

_A vampire is created when an already existing vampire bites a human. Bites, but does not kill, which is extremely rare. They tend to suck the human dry, unless something happens._

Vampires were in the Hall. Kurt was now injured. He was not dead, and he had not been sucked dry of blood. That could only mean...

"Aubrey..._Aubrey_!" Guy's voice and hand shaking her shoulder brought her back to consciousness. Her stomach took a dive.

"Pull over. Pull over!" she yelled at Jaquis. He quickly complied, pulling off onto the grass. Aubrey ran out of the car and vomited into the brush. She waited for a moment for another wave of nausea to raise its ugly head, but it did not. She returned to the car, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

"Are you alright?" asked Jaquis.

"I...I know what's wrong with him," said Aubrey. She looked at Jaquis, her expression somber despite Kurt's continuous screaming. "Take him to my house. Jack knows too."

"What do you mean 'Jack knows'?" asked Guy. Aubrey glanced at him.

"It happened last year. I had to tell him, and now we both know," she said simply.

"Know what?" the betrayal and suspicion was obvious in his eyes. Aubrey didn't answer. She was looking at Kurt, whose screams of pain had died down to quiet sobbing and violent shudders.

"Just get us to my house," she said to Jaquis. "Fast."

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	15. The Wakening

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**By the way, forgot to say this in the last chapter, but the Hall is based off of the building used in AFI's "Miss Murder" music video. **

**It's 4:30 AM, enjoy this.  
**

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Coal black eyes opened to the blinding white walls and Marek lifted his head from where it lay on his neck. His body was still sprawled on the floor of his beloved's room, but now there were at least twenty rats drained of blood littering the floor. He guiltily made a mental note to restore the room's former cleanliness soon.

A twist of anger rose up inside of him like a snake and he let out a hiss of furious pain, curling his lip back over his teeth dangerously. And why should he? Why should he do any favors in this house? He had remained faithful. He had sat, unmoving, in her house for four months, waiting for her return. He had barely fed. The rat carcasses on the floor were enough evidence of that.

She wasn't coming back. She truly was gone.

His rage turned to despairing agony as his hiss melted into a low howl of the pain ripping up his insides. Aubrey, sweet Aubrey, _his_ Aubrey...had disappeared from Forks forever. He crouched on his toes, leaning his head over with his head clasped in his white hands. How could she have abandoned him like that? It just didn't seem right.

That was when it hit. The overwhelming hunger. Marek cried out a little as his animal instinct nearly consumed him. He caught a thread of control at the last second, looking around the house wildly with his head still in his hands. Seconds later he was outside, sparkling in the midday sun. It was the first time he had been out in four months, not that he had been affected.

The vampire fled from the deserted house, plunging into the dark, thick trees, losing himself in the green. His eyes searched for an animal, any animal, to feed on. Then a thought struck him. He was not with the Cullens anymore. He was no longer bound by their restraints on his diet. Pearly white teeth showed as the lips that covered them stretched back in a twisted grin. Oh, it had been too long since his last indulgence in human blood. His legs moved in a blur as he sought out the last human to speak with him.

The Barnes house was as cold and empty on the outside as Marek remembered. And the pale blue cottage across the street called to him with such force that it drove out any painful memories that were on their way to plague his mind. He felt his senses take over. And then he was gone. The street was empty. If anyone had been there, standing by the Barnes' mailbox, they would have thought that the stunningly handsome young man had just vanished into thin air. Had they remained there, they would have heard a muffled scream emanate from the paper-thin walls of the Thriftway checkout woman's home. Then they would have run back into whatever home they lived in as a blue Nissan sedan pulled into the Barnes' driveway.

It parked at the end of the drive and a college boy stepped out of the driver's seat, looking up at the house, then back at the road. His blonde hair was gelled into a perfectly pointed field of spikes upon the top of his head, and he wore a black leather jacket over a navy Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirt. The outfit was complete with designer jeans and boots. Anyone could see that he was from California. Colored lights flashed off of the trees, still wet with the nonstop rain, and a police cruiser pulled into the driveway behind the Nissan. Chief Charlie Swan stepped out onto the gravel.

"Why'd you call, Blake?" he asked. "And when did you get back in town? Last I heard you were down at--"

"UCLA, yes," said the beach boy, flashing a pearly smile. His tanned skin made them seem unnaturally overwhite, though that could have been the effect of a whitening strip in anyone's mind. "I came home yesterday to speak with my family. They haven't answered any of my letters in nearly a year. I finally found visiting time in my busy job schedule to come up and investigate."

"What are you talking about, Blake?" asked Charlie, clearly confused. Blake Barnes raised an eyebrow.

"My family. I believe something's wrong and when I arrived yesterday. Nobody was home. I'm requesting an investigation immediately." The police chief rubbed the back of his neck, fixing Blake with a strange look. The boy didn't miss it. "Why are you giving me that look?"

"Blake, the Barnes' moved to Missouri nearly a year ago," said Chief Swan. Blake stared at him in disbelief.

"What?"

"They moved. Everybody knows. They packed their bags one day and left town. Never got around to putting their house up for sale."

"My family never told me they were moving," said Blake. Charlie narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I think I would know if my own family moved! Are you trying to tell me that my father, my mother, and my little sister are...gone!?" demanded Blake. Charlie looked up at the house, then back at Blake.

"Have you searched the house?" he asked. Blake rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes now wide in horror.

"Yes, yes, every room. Except one. It was locked..." he said. Charlie lowered a hand to the pistol that rested in a holster on his belt and stepped towards the house.

"Show me," he said. Blake turned and led him into the house.

Behind the pasty blue, neighboring cottage, Marek was a nervous wreck. He had seen. He had heard everything. If they opened that room...why hadn't he thought to _bury_ the bodies? How was he supposed to know that little, annoying Sarah Barnes had had an older brother? From what she'd prattled on and on about, Marek had gathered that she was an only child with no relatives but her parents. He had obviously been wrong.

Burgundy eyes flicked to the bright red liquid that stained his marble hands. Another mistake on his record. The treaty, only a faint memory in his mind mere minutes before, now seemed to flame in the front of his mind, reprimanding him for his actions. He would have to leave Forks...or he would be killed. He dwelled on that. An immortal suffering death...it was oddly tempting.

_"Chief Swan...Calling Swan..."_ Marek's red eyes flicked to the police cruiser in the Barnes driveway. Two seconds later he was next to it, lifting the police intercom to his lips.

"Yup?" he replied in a deep, neutral-sounding voice. A voice that could have belonged to any man.

_"Charlie, we got a break in at the place across the street from the Barnes house. We know you're down there, so you're the closest person who could check it out."_

"I'm on it."

Silent alarms. They were one of the lesser inventions of modern man in Marek's opinion. He replaced the intercom and took off down the street, running towards town. He searched for the date in his mind. He had to know how long it had been since they left exactly. Aubrey's house didn't have a clock anymore. They had taken it with them...wherever they went. Then he saw it.

The Swan abode.

Marek stood frozen, staring at it. He knew where Charlie Swan was. His red eyes sought the sun and found it, hiding behind a cloud, nearly midway through the sky. School was in session. He could infiltrate the house without being caught by the father or breaking Edward's abstinence streak. The door opened and closed within a second.

"Calendar...calendar..." came mutters from around the room. Then the figure froze in mid-step, his red eyes locked on the stairway.

"Marek?" came a weak voice. It was too late to move. In two seconds she was on him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her head in his chest.

"Hi Bella," said Marek. He sniffed her hair and his brow furrowed. She smelled different to him. The floral scent of her blood, harder to resist than usual thanks to little Miss Thriftway's affect on his free will, was mixed with two new scents. One of sweat and porcelain, a sickly smell, and the other of...

"I've missed you all so much!" She was sobbing now, drenching his ratty shirt. Marek felt for her, he did, but he had to get out of her grip as soon as he possibly could.

"Bella, I need you to let go," he said, teeth clenched.

"Why?"

"Do it. Now." His eyes connected with hers and he saw a spark of recognition alight in their brown orbs.

"Marek?" she asked slowly. Marek reached around in back and disconnected her locked hands, pushing them back towards her. He took a few steps back and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Bella...Bella..." he sighed. She smelled of werewolf, but she might not be aware. He wasn't supposed to meddle. Edward had ordered. He shook his head, rolling his eyes. To hell with Edward. "You sick?" Not completely to hell with him, but he wouldn't just run out and leave her standing there. God only knew what she'd been through.

"Yeah...stomach flu," said Bella. Marek forced a smirk. He was sure the strain showed.

"You should be in bed drinking lots of fluids," he reprimanded.

"Why are you not in Denali?" asked Bella. Marek studied her.

"I'm not bound to the Cullens, you know. Nor their...ways, as you can obviously see." He pointed at his eyes. Bella nodded, but Marek could now see fear behind her eyes. He smirked. "I just ate, Bella, you're safe."

"But...the treaty--"

"I need to ask you something, Bella," interrupted Marek, urgent now.

"What?"

"Where is Aubrey? Her house is empty. It's been abandoned." She did not need to know how long he'd been in Forks.

"I...I don't know," said Bella. "They disappeared overnight. Like the Ba--"

"You don't know where they went?" Marek pressed.

"Nobody does," said Bella. Marek saw her eyes tearing up again. The tears overflowed and streamed down her face. "I...It's been horrible here...without..." She broke down, sinking to her knees. Marek rolled his eyes.

"Stupid E...Cullens." After all, it was all of their faults just as much as Edward's. They had all left her here. But then, so had he. "We all told him it wouldn't work. It would only make things worse."

"You left Aubrey," Bella managed to say. "Just like..."

"I was coming back," admitted Marek. Bella looked at him. He avoided her gaze. "I came back two weeks later. I only left to assure...I didn't mean to take as long as I did, but when I came back...she was gone...so I waited. She didn't come back."

"Marek, are they coming back?" asked Bella. He looked at her and shook his head. He saw her face crumple in pain and he empathized. Her pain matched his.

"I shouldn't have talked to you," he said, staring at a window. "I am not welcome. I...my habits caught up with me and I..." His eyes widened. In the trees outside, he could see two, bright red eyes gleaming in the foliage. "Shit...they're coming for me..."

"Who?" asked Bella. Marek glanced at her with genuine fear.

"The Quileutes," he said. He looked back into the trees. The eyes were gone. "Look, I have to run. Now. If...if Aubrey comes back..." He gulped. "Tell her I waited."

"Don't go!"

"Bye Bells," said Marek. And then it was Bella alone in her house, sitting in a pool of tears on the floor.

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	16. The Memories

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**All you need to know is that it's four months after the incident at the Hall and the italic paragraphs are backflashes to the past. Enjoy!**

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Aubrey practically dashed into the hallway at the sound of the bell. She spotted Jaquis running out of the Spanish classroom ahead of her and she quickened her pace to catch up. They didn't speak until they'd safely exited the front doors of the school. Guy's truck was absent, but that was now normal to them. Aubrey climbed into the passenger's seat of Jaquis's Vauxhall, staring out of the windshield.

"Today's the day," said Jaquis, starting the engine. Aubrey nodded dumbly. Jaquis glanced at her as he steered the car. "Have you gotten the idea for _where_ we should unleash him?"

"We'll throw him off of the dock," replied Aubrey. "He can hunt in the water. I'm not risking letting him out on land just yet."

"Will he know how to--"

"They all know how to hunt on their own, Jake," said Aubrey. "It's instinctive for them."

It had been at least four months now since their visit to the Hall. As soon as they had reached Jack's house, Aubrey ordered that they lock the afflicted Kurtis in an upstairs closet. Guy and Jaquis had immediately refused. It was then that Jack had made his appearance, running down the stairs, demanding to know what was going on. A single word from Aubrey had him trying to shove the boy into a closet on the second floor along with her despite the protests and concerns of the two others. That had taken quite a bit of explaining...

_"He's screaming bloody murder up there! You can't just lock him in a closet until he stops! We need to find what's wro--"_

_"We know what's wrong," said Aubrey angrily. "There's nothing we can do!"_

_"So you lock him in a closet!?" exclaimed Jaquis, pointing at the ceiling above where muffled screams bled through the floor into the otherwise quiet den. Aubrey sighed._

_"Sit down and let me explain," she ordered, or more accurately, pleaded, pointing at the couch. Jack sat quietly in an armchair already, staring up at Guy and Jaquis. They had their eyes fixed on Aubrey as they slowly sat down on the couch. She sighed and took the floor._

_"Tell us what's going on," said Guy._

_"Well..."_

_"What's wrong with him?" asked Jaquis, his voice ridden with distress. _

_"He's a vampire," said Aubrey. The two men on the couch stared at her. They looked at Jack for confirmation, then back at her._

_"He's a _what_!?" demanded Jaquis._

_"A vampire...or at least he's going to be. There's no reversal for it," said Aubrey. "He's been bitten by one."_

_"How do you know that that's what those things were?" asked Guy. "They could have just cut him with--"_

_"Because I _know_ one of them!" shouted Aubrey. _

_"Start at the beginning," suggested Jack in a low voice from the chair._

_"And how do _you_ know about this, Dad?" asked Guy, shaking his head._

_"Well I couldn't just let your sister get away with a eloping without a good explanation," he said. Guy's eyes, if possible, widened even more as he turned them back to Aubrey._

"ELOPING"

_"Can I tell the story?" asked Aubrey. Nobody objected. "When we moved to Forks...that's the town I'm from, Jaquis,...well, when we got there, there were some kids at my school that were...different." She swallowed and moved on. "The Cullens. The story was that Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme had adopted five children before they moved up to Forks and that Marek Rhodes was a friend of theirs who had transferred--"_

Marek Rhodes_?" asked Guy. "Your boyfriend was a vampire?"_

_"I'm getting there," said Aubrey. "Anyway...well yes, Marek and I got together after a while and he told me everything. Everything about how they don't eat normal food, how they could drink either animal or human blood, how they had extra abilities." She paused for comments, but nobody spoke. "I went out with their family and another girl who was dating a Cullen, and three new vampires showed up. They were the human blood drinkers, like the majority of their kind. That's their preferred source of food, you see. The Cullens lived off of animal blood. Four new vampires showed up during the game. James, Victoria, Laurent, and...Roger." She hesitated before continuing. "Roger knew Marek somehow. When we left, Edward, Bella's boyfriend, said that James was going to track Bella and Roger had his mind on me."_

_"How did he know?" asked Jaquis. _

_"Edward can read minds. Most minds anyway. He can't read Bella's for reasons we can't explain and Marek can block minds from being read or predicted."_

_"Is that what you meant by extra senses?" asked Guy. _

_"Yeah."_

_"Wait, go over the people's names. I'm confused," said Jaquis._

_"Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Edward are Cullens, Bella was the human dating Edward, Marek was my boyfriend, and James, Roger, Laurent, and Victoria are the human blood drinkers," Aubrey reviewed. _

_"Which have powers?"_

_"Jasper can control the emotions of people around him, Alice can see people's futures, Edward can read minds, and Marek can block them. I think James was some sort of tracker," said Aubrey._

_"So they showed up and Edward saw their intentions...then what?" asked Guy._

_"We split up," said Aubrey. "I...er...told Jack I was eloping and some other stuff so he would let me go. I had to draw Roger away from him. We drove down to Phoenix, Bella's old town, and we hid there until the hunting party called and said they were coming down. We went to the airport and I left Jasper and Alice's guard to get a drink of water. That's when...Roger kidnapped me and brought me to an ice cream parlor he had ransacked earlier. I could see the bodies in the back room. He apparently knew Marek from before he came to America and he mentioned someone named Nathaniel. Then he tried to drain me, but Marek showed up in time to pull him off. I blacked out, but when I woke up, Marek said that he and Roger had made a deal of some sort in exchange for my life and freedom."_

_"And you saw Roger in the Hall," guessed Jaquis. Aubrey nodded. "What happened to Marek?" _

_"What?"_

_"Why is he not here with you? If he's immortal and all..."_

_"We had to leave abruptly and without warning," said Aubrey, glancing up at Guy. "The Cullens had left Forks for Bella's benefit under Edward's orders, but Marek had secretly promised to come back and..." She cut herself off before she could reveal their plans to actually elope with her a vampire as well. "Anyway, we left a day before he returned. I can't call him or anything..." She paused. The corpse in the Hall flickered in her mind. "But I can now! We can go back to Forks!"_

_"What?" asked Jaquis, his face draining of color. "You can't just leave. You can't leave Kurt in this state. What if he tries to drain all of Portsmouth? You have to tell him how to be civilized, like the Cullens. Don't leave me to take care of him!" Aubrey's joy faded as quickly as it had come._

_"I...well then I'll call him, tell him to come..."_

_"Aubrey, how are you going to reach him?" asked Jack. She paused. _

_"I'll call Bella and--"_

_"But Bella isn't supposed to know about them leaving," said Jack. Aubrey stared at the floor, speechless. Jack got up and placed an arm around her shoulders. "This summer, Aubrey. School's almost over. You can fly back to Forks this summer and find him. If he's still there, that is."_

_"Can...can I call him though?" asked Aubrey. _

_"Wait until school ends."_

Aubrey sighed, staring out of the window. She closed her eyes and faced forward as they cut through a familiar neighborhood. Jaquis was unusually stiff, his eyes boring holes in the road in front of him. They had long since passed the house when they allowed themselves to relax. That was a guilt that would never go away.

"She stared at us again," said Jaquis, interrupting the silence.

"I know," said Aubrey, sighing.

_"What are we going to do about Kurt's mother?" asked Jaquis. "If he is a vampire...won't she notice the difference?"_

_"We could tell her," said Guy._

_"No, we can't. Nobody is supposed to know about their kind," said Aubrey._

_"We do," pointed out Jaquis._

_"But we've all seen them firsthand. Anyway, how do you think she'd react? Caring at first, yes, but Kurt isn't strong enough to resist the call of human blood. none of us can touch him for, well, for as long as it takes for him to build up resistance," said Aubrey. _

_"How are we supposed to train him to drink animal blood, then, if he's too strong for any of us to restrain him?" asked Guy._

_"We'll keep him in the closet. Raid the pet stores as long as we can without questions. If you can find deer, bring it here alive. Maybe kidnap a few sheep. We need to keep him here."_

_"What to we tell Mrs. Davies?" asked Jaquis. Aubrey stared at him for a long time._

_"Tell her that he's dead."_

They pulled up outside of the Neils abode. As Aubrey climbed out of the car, she realized that it had nearly been half a year since she arrived there. Time flew when one was training a vampire. They walked up to the door and hurried inside.

A reek of decaying animals reached their noses and they pulled their shirts up over their noses and mouths. Aubrey set her backpack down and ran up the stairs, Jaquis two steps behind. She walked to the second floor closet and opened it. It was empty. Empty, that is, except for the pile of dead rabbits, stiff and drained of blood.

"Kurt?" Aubrey called through the fabric over her mouth. "Kurtis! Come on, this isn't funny!"

"On the contrary," said a voice behind them, making them jump. They turned to find themselves face to face with Kurtis Davies the vampire.

Kurt's transformation from human to monster had lasted three days. The month following had been filled with frantic searches for animal shelters, sleepless nights, and even the well-strategized kidnapping of the next-door neighbor's dog. The funeral of their dear friend, Kurtis, had tested all of their acting skills to the max. Aubrey had had to drag Jaquis away when he nearly cracked at the sight of Mrs. Davies sobbing over Kurt's empty coffin.

It had taken a lot of talking to convince Kurt not to show up for it. They had explained to him through the closet door that his mother believed him to have been kidnapped as he walked home after their visit to the Hall. He had begged to attend his own funeral and act as a comforting ghost to his mother, but, even though it might have worked, they told him that the bloodlust would have overtaken him and he might have killed her instead of comforting.

Now the cocky little vampire had a reasonable amount of control over his urges, especially around Aubrey, Jaquis, Guy, and Jack. He had been in contact with them longer, and their scents were now muted to him. This, Aubrey knew, was unusual for vampires. She knew for a fact that Jasper had been created sometime during the Civil War and he was still getting used to the Cullen's way of life. But, she reasoned, he had lived as a human blood vampire until he met Alice. Then they had shortly after that joined the Cullens and moved to Forks. Kurt had never tasted human blood. They had made sure to only get him animals so that he would not have to resist so much. Aubrey had a lurking feeling that Kurt's resistance was also partially due to the extra sensory enhancement that all vampires went through. When she told him her theory, he mentioned that he had been quick to adapt in life, and now it was only fitting that he be the same, if not more so, in death.

The bloodlust was still strong for him around strangers, however, and he had not been out in the light of day yet, despite Portsmouth's cloudy weather. Aubrey and Jaquis, sometimes with Guy, went out with Kurt to let him stretch his legs, hunt for mice, and other small garden animals, and test his new abilities. As long as the blood was inside and not on the streets, they knew he would be able to withstand its call.

_"What about the sun?" asked Jaquis, running his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time. "Will he burn up or...explode?"_

_"The sun doesn't hurt them," Aubrey replied. "It makes them...glitter." Guy and Jaquis stared at her with raised eyebrows._

_"Glitter?" repeated Guy. Aubrey felt her ears turning red._

_"Well, yes. Glitter," she said. "It's like they're made of crystal. The light reflects off of tiny flat surfaces and they glitter. It's hard to describe."_

_"The most lethal creatures on the face of this planet…and they glitter," said Jaquis, shaking his head._

The most lethal. Aubrey could not stress that enough. Everyone in the house had to remain extra careful so that they would not get even so much as a papercut. If they did, they knew they would be dead before they could even utter a swearword. Once Jaquis had cut himself slicing an apple before school and he hadn't been able to return to the house until it had completely healed. In Kurt's first few vampire days, Aubrey, Jack, and Guy had had to stay at a hotel, speaking over the phone with him to explain his situation. They had left a stock of live rabbits downstairs and told him of the plan to keep him civil. A week later they had returned home and Kurt had returned to the closet. He understood their reasoning and began building his defensive strength against the bloodlust. After a month, the phone communication was no longer needed and they could speak with him through the closet door, but he had still required a barrier between them. They had finally let him out on Christmas, and he was free to roam the house as he wished. The next step was hunting, which Aubrey and Jaquis would not be able to help him with at all, a fact which worried them. They could do nothing if he escaped into another village and attacked someone. Without the help of other vampires, Aubrey's family and Jaquis were completely on their own, prey caring for the ultimate predator.

"You know you can stay under the water as long as you like, Kurt," said Aubrey, looking into his golden eyes as he stretched out on the floor, his skin like cold marble.

"I know. God I can't wait to get out of this house. Do you have any idea what it's like to sit here and wait for you clowns to get out of school _every single day_?" he stressed.

"No, we don't," said Jaquis. Aubrey was still looking at the vampire on the floor. He had changed in appearance when he had transformed. His skin was perfect now, just like the Cullens', as his eyes were the deepest topaz. His dark hair had a new sheen to it as it fell over his eyes, and muscles were evident under the stony skin. He looked like his old self overall, but under a sort of shroud of beauty that granted him an attractive appeal. He had lorded his new attractiveness over Jaquis through the closet door after they tossed a mirror and a flashlight in during his early, unrestrained days. Aubrey felt nothing more than friendship towards him though. Her heart still belonged to Marek.

"I hear the predators grant the most competition for you, so you might want to focus on sharks to catch," said Aubrey.

"But what if they bite me?" asked Kurt with feigned fright. Aubrey gave him a look.

"Kurt, don't tease me. I got almost no sleep last night because of your inability to," she said. Kurt was on his feet next to her before she could blink.

"I'm sorry," he said, snaking a cold arm around her waist.

"Kurt, distance," muttered Jaquis warningly. Kurt just shrugged and removed the arm.

"So when do we go?" he asked.

"When it gets dark," replied Aubrey.

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	17. The Hunt

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**Darkest Hour**_

**Hey! I'm back! First chapter since camp! W00T! I'm getting **_**Eclipse **_**later today and I can't wait! Enjoy this chapter!**

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Never again, vowed Aubrey, would she volunteer to drive the hyperactive, young vampire to his first hunt. The docks were several miles away and it was bad enough that she was on the wrong side of the car to read the road signs as she drove. Jaquis was in the passenger's seat, so she did not have to search the walls of the buildings for road signs. He pointed her in the right direction at every turn. But Kurtis' interference made it hard despite the help she was getting.

"Can I stick my head out of the window?" he asked.

"No, Kurt," said Aubrey, her nerves rising.

"God I miss the wind. I miss outside. Can I get on top of the car?"

"No, Kurt."

"Can I ride under the car? I swear I won't break anything. Just let me feel the wind..."

"_No_ Kurt!"

"I could be out the window and out of sight in no time I swear!"

"Kurt, the scent," said Jaquis. He had no need to elaborate. Kurt sank down into his seat, grumbling. The bloodlust was keeping him inside stern boundaries and he did not like it at all.

"Where do I go?" asked Aubrey as they came to another light.

"Left," said Jaquis.

"Nuh uh, that goes to the highway," said Kurt.

"No it doesn't, it curves around by those apartments where Mrs. Kenninger was," said Jaquis.

"That was to the to the right!"

"Which way!?" demanded Aubrey.

"Left!" said Jaquis. Aubrey jerked left, nearly colliding with a small BMW. Kurt rolled to one side in the back, smacking his head on the window. He had insisted on not wearing a seatbelt in his immortal state. Aubrey had argued at first, but gave up on the hope that if they crashed he would fly out of the windshield and get what was coming to him.

"You remember what to do, Kurt?" asked Aubrey.

"Yes, for the millionth time!" said Kurt in annoyance with a roll of his eyes. "Jump in the water, don't breath, hunt for sharks, and don't eat a human."

"Good. And you meet us?"

"At the outcropping with the lighthouse," droned Kurt as if he were reciting to a teacher.

"Good," said Jaquis. "Now are you excited?"

"Hell yes," said Kurt. "Drive faster. I could probably run faster than this old piece of junk."

"Dis my truck and we turn it around," threatened Aubrey. Kurt snorted.

"I could probably just get out and run with it to the coast," he muttered. Aubrey rolled her eyes.

After what seemed like hours, the truck pulled up into a parking lot by the beach of the English Channel. Not two seconds later, Kurt was out of the truck speeding down to the water. At the last minute they had decided that parking by the beach, which would be closed, was a far better plan than parking by possibly inhabited boats. Jaquis and Aubrey walked to the stairs and looked out at the rolling waves. Kurt had not resurfaced. They didn't expect him to.

"Our little boy's growing up," said Jaquis. Aubrey snorted.

"How long do you think he'll need?" she asked. Jaquis looked at his watch, clicking a button to make the face light up in the dark of the night.

"I'd give him twenty minutes, then we'll drive around," he said. They sat on the steps and clutched their coats tighter as the wind began to blow. Aubrey shivered and thought of how cold the water must be. Kurtis was swimming in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt while they were bundled up in scarves, boots, jeans, sweaters, and windbreakers all at once.

"What will happen to him?" asked Jaquis after a moment. Aubrey looked at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean...we'll get older and die, but what will happen to Kurt?" Aubrey hesitated.

"He'll remain the same. He'll continue to live and roam the Earth, but aside from other vampires, he is alone in his journey," she said.

"How do you think he'll handle our deaths? Or when we get older, if we have Alzheimers or something?" asked Jaquis. Aubrey looked at the waters. She hadn't been worried since Marek had promised to change her, but now that she was no longer with him and Kurt wasn't strong enough, would she just live and die like all of the other humans on Earth? Would she be doomed to suffer mortality? The thought clenched at her heart and sickened her. Tears welled in her eyes, but she beat them down and focused on the distant, dark horizon.

"I suppose he'll make new friends throughout the decades," she said. The tears may not have reached her eyes, but they had spilled over into her voice, making it shaky. It did not escape the notice of Jaquis, who looked at her.

"What's the matter?" he asked. The tears reached Aubrey's eyes and she reached up to wipe them away.

"It's my fault that Kurt is like this. I carried the curse over and now it's your burden too. I didn't mean for others to learn about them, but...and his poor, poor mother...I just..."

Jaquis looped an arm around Aubrey's waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and sighing. Neither spoke for the next few minutes. The night on the beach was silent apart from the quiet whooshing of the waves and the faint whistle of wind in the trees.

"It's not your fault," Jaquis said after a long pause. "It was our idea, Kurt's in fact, to go to the Hall. Don't blame yourself. We would have gone without you anyway and if that had happened...well, we wouldn't have been rescued by your brother for one thing, and when we were bitten, we wouldn't have known what had happened."

Aubrey didn't reply. She could think of nothing to say. The silence fell upon the beach once again. More time passed, until Aubrey lifted herself off of Jaquis's shoulder, scrambling to her feet.

"Come on. We've let him have his fun. Let's drive around," she said. Jaquis stood and they walked to the car.

The periodic glow of streetlights flashing past the windows of the car drew Aubrey's eyes like moths to a bug-zapper in her deep thought as they sped along to the lighthouse peninsula. As they so often did in times of silence, her thoughts drifted to Marek. She wondered if he'd ever loved another. Some beauty from the turn of the 19th century perhaps. A flapper in the 20's, perhaps a woman during World War II. As Aubrey's imagination wandered, cold sadness enveloped her heart.

Would she become just one of those distant memories? A ghost from the past who had once been the object of a vampire's desire, if indeed that is what it had been. Had been. Aubrey shook her head. She would see him at the end of the school year. She'd get on a plane and fly off to Forks.

Like he'd still be there. Probably moved on as soon as he found her empty house.

"What's going on up there?" Jaquis's voice broke the silence and Aubrey's meditations. Her eyes flicked to the windshield and she straightened, an eyebrow raising at the flashing red and blue lights.

Four police cars had pulled over in a semicircle, blocking the road from view. Jaquis parked off to the side of the road and he and Aubrey got out, walking over. An officer was speaking into a walkie-talkie.

"...near forty years old, male, caucasian, about 5'11, brunette, with green eyes, found by the lighthouse at 23 hours and 28 minutes. Cause of death? Well he's--" The young officer noticed Aubrey and Jaquis then, and he turned away, finishing his message. Then he turned and strode over to them. "Stay back, please, there's been an incident."

"What's happened?" asked Aubrey. The officer glanced back over his shoulder.

"A man's been murdered. His neck's been slashed open and his torso and abdomen are history. No weapon has been found, but these marks couldn't have been made from pure human strength. Perhaps a wolf found him...or some sort of animal...but what animal could have done that?" He seemed to talk more to himself at the end, as if he had forgotten the two people who stood in front of him.

"Evans!" came a shout and the young officer turned around. A mustached, older man was walking towards them, his dark eyes flicking from the officer to Aubrey and Jaquis. "Civilians need to vacate the scene. Quit chit-chatting and make sure they leave," he said.

"Right, go back to your car, Sir, Miss," said Evans, his face red in embarrassment. As they turned, Aubrey's eyes met Jaquis and she saw that he was as apprehensive as she. They did not speak their fears until the car was back on the highway, speeding back to the beach.

"Kurt can't have done it, can he?" Jaquis asked, his voice shaky with fear.

"He did. He lost his control," said Aubrey. She felt numb. If Kurt had tasted human blood, then all their training, all their precautions, had been for naught.

"Where do you think he's gone?" asked Jaquis. Aubrey looked at him.

"Do you think it's safe for us to look for him after he's weakened his resistance?"

"We have to find him!" insisted Jaquis, a spurt of panic creeping into his voice. "He's our friend! He'd do the same for us!"

"Jaquis, you have to understand, when we find him, he won't be the same as we know him to be," said Aubrey. "When vampires feed, they give themselves over to their senses. Become completely animal. In that state, there's no way to reach them, and no telling what they might do. Let's go back and tell Jack and Guy before we do anything we might regret."

Jaquis's face had gone ashen, and Aubrey could see the muscles in his neck and jaw tensed and strained. She bit her lip to quell her own worries. And her fear. If Kurt was on an animal rampage, there was no telling how many he would harm before they found him.

They had just turned into a small neighborhood when Jaquis slammed on the brakes, sending Aubrey flying into the glove compartment. She rubbed the sore spot on her head and looked at him in alarm. His wide eyes were staring out of her window. She followed his gaze and her mouth dropped open in horror.

They had stopped in front of the house they'd avoided staring at ever since their trip to the Hall. The house where Kurt's mother had lived alone for half a year. The window by the door was smashed in and the door hung open on it's hinges. Jaquis and Aubrey were out of the car and running up to the house in an instant.

The house was silent when they entered. Jaquis closed the door. The last thing they needed was a neighbor coming over to inquire what was happening. They glanced through a few rooms that led off of the main hallway to find them empty and untouched.

A sound echoed down the hall to their ears from the sitting room. It was barely audible at first, but then it grew louder. Jaquis and Aubrey exchanged looks before striding towards the noise. It sounded like crying, yet not crying. More like moans of agony than sobs. And they did not sound feminine.

The two teenagers entered the room and their eyes fell upon a sea of sticky, red blood that stained the floor. Aubrey covered her mouth. The body of Mrs. Davies lay spread-eagle on the floor, ripped open from the throat to the abdomen and covered in blood. Her eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling from a red-stained face. Her fluffy, cotton robe was ripped and askew, and peices of it lay amongst the remains of a couch that had been torn to peices and thrown about the room.

Aubrey ripped her eyes away from the corpse to stare at a pale figure curled up in the corner. The shoulders of the figure shook as another cry echoed through the room. Beside her, Jaquis took a step forward, but she caught his wrist in warning. Immediately, red eyes met hers in an excrutiated gaze. In an instant, the figure was on his feet, the next, on all fours, digging his scarlet fingers into the wood of the floor, baring his matching teeth in a grimace.

"The smell...it's so strong," he groaned, his eyes closing wistfully.

"Kurt..." It was all Aubrey could say. She and Jaquis looked at their friend with matching sad gazes. He looked from one to the other with pleading in his burgundy irises.

"I didn't mean to," he said, his voice shaky. "I didn't know what I was doing. First I was swimming and then...then I was here...and Mum..." A deep, gutteral noise emanated from his chest and he let out a roaring howl of anguish.

"Shhh!" urged Aubrey. "Kurt! If you wake the neighbors, they'll come and--"

"I don't care if they come! Let them come! Let them see the monster I am! Let them kill me for it!" spat Kurt.

"They can't kill you," said Jaquis. "But please, Kurt, for our sakes! If they find _us_ here, it will be worse than if they discover no one to convict."

"Go without me," said Kurt. "Go!"

"And leave you to hungrily roam the streets? No!" said Jaquis. "You're coming with us. We'll put you back in the closet and--"

"And what? Wait until I murder you in your sleep?" cried Kurt. "Wait until the voice comes again and tells me to murder someone else? Maybe Jack this time! Or Guy! Or you, Jaquis! Or you, Aubrey! I can't go! I need to be buried alive or locked up or--"

"Voice?" asked Aubrey. "You heard a voice that told you to kill the man?" Kurt shuddered violently and lowered his head, letting out a sigh. He looked back up.

"In the water, I was swimming through darkness, not breathing, and I was about two hundred meters under, searching for sharks, like you told me, when this...this voice...in my head said 'Why hunt fish? Kurtis Davies, you are no longer a mere mortal, you are a vampire, the most powerful being on Earth. Why restrain yourself from what you truly desire? Can you not smell the hot, pumping blood in that tasty little morsel by the lighthouse? You are the ultimate predator! Capture your prey!' and I...went animal..." He looked at his mother, his face almost too unbearable to look at. The pain displayed there was too much for Aubrey. She focused on a broken chair leg that lay on the floor near the window.

"Aubrey, are voices normal?" asked Jaquis. She shook her head.

"I never heard them mentioned," she said. Kurt was suddenly on his feet next to the window.

"Mrs. Cattinger is calling the police," he said. "You'd better go."

Aubrey took her hand off of Jaquis's wrist and strode across the room, stepping over the body on her way. She put a hand on Kurt's shoulder and spun him around to face her. A look of horrified anticipation was on his face, as if he expected the animal inside of him to take control once more and rip her to pieces. He did no such thing.

"You've had enough blood for now," she said. "The hunger will not return for a while. We need to get you back to the house. Come on." She tugged on Kurt's arm. He stared at her strangely for a minute. Aubrey looked over her shoulder at Jaquis. He walked over to them and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder comfortingly. Then he took his friend's other arm and together the two mortals led the monster out of his house.

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	18. The Fugitive

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**Finished **_**Eclipse **_**a minute ago! Enjoy this!**

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A camera. A stupid camera.

Marek was overcome with disgust. He hated cameras. It was just his luck that Petite Madamoiselle Barnes had left her stupid, stupid, _stupid_ video camera running at the exact time he indulged in his thirst. Well...not the climax of his indulgence, at least. That was a relief. The camera had been left running on a windowsill in the room he had locked with the bodies inside. Luckily it wasn't a great camera and his picture was blurred enough that he wasn't completely recognizable. But still, it wasn't a good thing to have the tape of his murder circulating throughout the Washington police departments and evening news on television.

He sat in the Thriftway woman's home, stretched out on the couch as he watched the recording of himself dumping the three drained bodies of the Barnes' on the floor. Each was in a plastic garbage bag so as to stem the rotting stench that took all corpses over time. Dark black eyes followed the pixilated, pale face on the screen as it turned with incredible speed before following the body out of the room and shutting the door. A blonde man in a suit filled the screen.

"The assailant may have left the state, but it is not proven. Keep an eye out and phone your local police station if he is spotted. Local policemen will be searching for potential suspects over the next few--"

Marek pressed the power button and the screen went black with a faint pop. Not a second later the couch was empty and Marek stood by the window, looking out between the blinds. He bit his lip, his dark eyes roving the dark trees. He had managed to stay hidden from the Quileutes so far, but it was only a matter of time until they caught up with him.

He let go of the blinds and shivered in distaste. Werewolves. He _hated_ werewolves. Not just because they could kill him, but because they were too...human. He shook his head. No, not because they were too human. Aubrey was human, and he loved her. Perhaps it was their lack of humanity. But Marek knew worse monsters of his own kind. Their smell, he decided on finally. Filthy dogs.

There was a tap against a window at the back of the house and Marek was there in an instant, staring out. Nobody was in sight. Cupboards flew open as Marek pulled out every scented candle the Thriftway woman had owned. he lit them all and moved on to the cleaning closet. He grabbed every air freshener he could find and set about spraying the house. In the dead woman's room he quickly located her perfume vault and set those to the air as well. If there was one thing about the dirty mutts he was sure about, it was their strong sense of smell.

He walked to the oven and tossed the rest of the woman's bread supply inside, turning the dial. He quickly pulled the smoke detector off of the ceiling and tore out the battery, throwing it into the oven on top of the bread. Closing the oven door, the vampire turned and walked back into the living room, flopping down onto the sofa. In the silence, his thoughts began to ravage through him wildly.

What was he to do now? Wait until the werewolves found him? Why was he not running? He could get out of Forks before they even found the house he was staying at. He could run back to Maine, or Alaska to check up with the Cullens and Tanya's coven. He could journey south and observe the neverending wars commence right under the noses of the unsuspecting humans. Or he could go out and actually search for Aubrey instead of hopelessly waiting for her return...

The smell of burning bread reached Marek's nose and he rolled over on the couch, staring at his reflection in the television's black screen. The long, pale form of his figure shone brightly back at him against the darkness of the room. He looked like an insomniac in his own eyes. Losing sleep over a lost loved one...

The scent of the perfumes and air fresheners mixed with the sharp odor of burning bread and plastic made Marek's head reel. Then he sat up suddenly, his body stone-still in apprehension. A despicable stench hung in the air along with the sickly mixture he himself had manufactured. In less than a second, Marek was off the couch, sunken into a crouch facing the door; his lips peeled back from his teeth.

The next second, the door was bashed in and a huge, shaggy, russet-colored dog bounded in. it looked more like a bear than a dog, but Marek knew instantly it was neither of these. One second they were in the living room, staring at each other with matching repulsed gazes, the next, the gigantic werewolf was bounding out of the shattered window where Marek had launched himself into the woods mere milliseconds before.

They ran, Marek pushing himself to the limit of his superhuman speed. He looked back over his shoulder to see the great russet werewolf bounding after him, keeping up perfectly. Marek increased his pace. And then the wolf stopped. Marek slowed to a stop, one hundred yards ahead of the beast. The werewolf was shaking its head, staring at Marek still with big, dark eyes. Then it turned and bounded away into the trees, leaving Marek alone in the woods.

He remained in his ready stance until he was convinced no more wolves would be coming. He almost found himself missing Alice's sense of foresight and even the ever-irritating Edward and his ability to read minds. It would have been helpful if Marek had known where the large werewolf had run off to. Black eyes quickly surveyed the woods around him, as he smelled the werewolf stench-free air. Then he smelled it. Blood. Pure, human blood. He shook his head.

It had been two weeks or so since he had last indulged in his natural food source, but his guilt had caught up with him. With his devious act at the Barnes' abode flashing all over the news, he couldn't afford to kill another. Still...a lonely little piece wandering around lost in the woods before noon...he could do with a lunch break... Marek pushed a hand through his hair in exasperation. He wouldn't hunt. He would only see. Maybe offer a helping hand in escorting the lost soul back to civilization.

A minute of high speed running brought Marek to a meadow. He recognized it as a place Edward had once planned to take Bella. It seemed to be out of its season though. The flowers were still recovering from winter and the sun was covered by thick, heavy, dark clouds that threw an air of gloom over the place. A gasp drew his attention.

"Bella," he said in surprise, his mouth falling open. He stared across the meadow at a slumped figure sitting on the ground. Her eyes shot to him immediately and she seemed to stare at him dizzily. He walked towards her and she got to her feet, seeming to struggle with the simple movement.

"Marek?" she asked. "What are--"

"Why are you out here alone?" asked Marek. Her scent caught his nose and he grimaced, but fought his instincts back with a massive effort. Oh how easy it would be to...

"He's not here!" cried Bella. The pain in her face made Marek wince.

"Who's not here?" he asked. Bella shook her head, her eyes closing. Suddenly another scent reached Marek's attention and he whirled around in shock. Bella looked up, her eyes following his gaze. A pale, marble figure entered the opposite end of the meadow. His black hair and olive-toned skin caught Marek's eye immediately.

"Who..."

"Laurent," hissed Marek, moving to face the newcomer, his shoulder in front of Bella's, casually defensive.

"Laurent?"

"Bella?" asked Laurent, looking astonished. Marek watched him warily. Laurent barely spared him a glance. "And Marek. I see you're alive."

"In a matter of speaking," muttered Marek.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Bella," said Laurent.

"Isn't it the other way around? I do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska," said Bella. Laurent paused in his approach.

"You're right. I did go to Alaska. Still, I didn't expect...When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd moved on."

"Oh," came Bella's small voice from behind Marek. "They did move on."

"Hmm. I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you a sort of pet of theirs?" Marek hissed angrily.

"They didn't _all_ move on, Laury," he said, a smirk twisting the corners of his mouth. Laurent's bemusement vanished in a second.

"From what I gathered, you weren't exactly one of their coven, Marry," he said. His gaze turned mocking. "And from what I see in your eyes now, your quarrel with me is over dinner." Marek's smirk didn't falter. Behind him, Bella seemed to stiffen.

"I am rather hungry," he admitted, "but my thirst for vengeance seems to tempt me more than my thirst for blood."

"Nothing can match the thirst for blood," said Laurent. "And I've kept mine lacking. I have orders, you see, from Victoria. She's rather put out that her mate is dead while his remains. I've come to remedy that." He cocked his head to the side, his eyes locked with Marek's. "From what Roger said, you have lots of experience following orders. Doing what you're told."

"So being in a coven nearly as large as the Vultori is the same as being assigned to find a human for a vendetta of someone who isn't even in your same coven anymore? You're doing the dirty work of tracking for Victoria, Laurent. You're nothing more than her stooge."

Laurent abandoned the civilized stance and sank back into a crouch. Marek stood, arms crossed, observing his behavior with the smirk firmly in place. Laurent's mouth twisted into a scowl.

"No Carlisle here to keep the peace," he warned.

"Then there's nothing holding me back," said Marek. He sank into a crouch to match Laurent's. They faced each other, neither blinking, and then they were gone.

They were halfay across the clearing, Marek pulling Laurent's shoulder back with incredible force. Laurent hissed and twisted in his grip, socking Marek in the face. THey reappeared momentarily several feet away, Laurent with his arms around Marek, squeezing the life out of him. Marek gasped, his eyes snapping open to lock with Bella's.

"Bella! Go!" he shouted. Bella tried to move, but her feet were frozen to the ground.

They flew off in a blur again, stopping a few feet in front of Bella as Marek grabbed onto Laurent's legs, bringing him crashing to the ground. They hissed at each other, growling as they wrestled. Again they disappeared, falling out of their increased speed in the center of the clearing, pushing each other, their hands against each other's shoulders. Suddenly both of their heads whipped around.

"I don't believe it," said Laurent under his breath. Marek's lips peeled back over his teeth and he hissed.

"Not again..." he muttered.

A great black werewolf had entered the clearing. On either side stood two more. Then two more on their sides in a V formation. Marek and Laurent backed up a pace. They stepped closer. The big black wolf in the lead growled. Beside Marek, Laurent turned and fled, vanishing into the trees seconds later. Three of the wolves bounded after him, their jaws open and hostile.

"Bella," said Marek, backing away from the black and russet wolves. "Bella, call them off..."

"C-call them off?" squeaked Bella. Marek's eyes didn't leave those of the black's.

"Tell them I am a friend! Tell them I mean no harm!" he snapped, panic lacing the edges of his words. The wolves snapped. Marek hissed at them and took another step back. The russet leaped forward, crashing into Marek. He fell back onto the ground.

"No! Stop!" cried Bella. The wolves stopped. Marek resisted the urge to fight them off, holding his hands up peaceably.

"I am not crossing the line," he said. "I was protecting her from the outsider...I mean no harm..." The russet growled in his face, but the black wolf barked and he backed down, his eyes never leaving Marek's face. As one, the two wolves turned, but the russet stayed for a last growl of warning before leaping out of the clearing after the black. Marek let his breath out in a rush. His dark eyes rose back to meet Bella's and he shook his head. "I will take you home, but my contact ends there." He walked to Bella's side and lifted her in his arms. "I can hear your heart. Try and breathe while I run you to your truck."

Neither spoke again until Bella was driving down the road in her bulbous red monstrosity while Marek sat on the wet asphalt behind her, his face in his hand.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

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	19. The Morning

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**Sorry for the long silence. I was so busy. But I'm done now! Yay!**

**More action after this chapter I promise promise PROMISE!!!**

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'You're caging him. You saw how happy he was to be out and free. Now you're just gagging him up. You can't keep a monster behind bars for the duration of its life, though. Whether it be time that defeats your efforts or an inevitable force of another kind, you will fail. He will give in to the thirst. He will be what he was made to be...'

_"He won't!" Aubrey shouted to the darkness. "He can control himself! Or he'll be able to once we've kept him away for a few weeks..."_

'He's a newborn. Did nobody ever tell you that newborns are uncontrollable in their first year? They're stronger than their elders. They're unstoppable.'

_"Kurt's different! He's taking to the restrictions! He's building up resistance to the thirst!" said Aubrey._

'But for how long? How long until he gives in again? He's done it once. He can do it again. He could kill any one of you in your sleep. Your brother, perhaps. Your father. Would you still believe in him then? He's already massacred his own mother.'

_"Who are you to question his self-control?"_

"One who would know its limits better than a silly human."

_"Who are you?" Aubrey asked again. No answer came. "Who are you!?" she shouted. Two, glowing red eyes split the darkness, wide with madness._

"One who will have you in their grasp soon!"

_A hiss followed, elevating to a growling roar that made Aubrey's blood freeze in her veins--_

Aubrey's eyes shot open. Her breath came in ragged gasps and she felt a layer of cold sweat upon her skin. She sat up, holding a hand to her chest. She couldn't slow her breathing. Tears sprang into her eyes and spilled over.

"Aubrey?" came a low voice.

She looked up to see Kurt standing in her doorway. He held the doorframe with one hand, steadying himself, but his dark red eyes were fixed on Aubrey's face, full of concern. Aubrey hiccupped past her hyperventilation and tried to say something, but the breathing wouldn't let her. She let out a sob. Kurt looked down in uncertainty. He took a step forward. Confident, he took another step. Aubrey watched him carefully. He caught her gaze and hesitated before crossing the rest of the distance in a few strides, seating himself on the edge of the bed.

"What...Kurt..." Aubrey tried to say between gasps.

"Breathe," said Kurt, extending a hand. Aubrey flinched as his cold hand touched the bare skin of her back above her tanktop. His skin was like ice. He rubbed her back comfortingly. "Aubrey, breathe slowly. In...out...in...out...that's it..."

Aubrey followed his instruction, taking a deep breath in, counting to three, and letting it out slowly. She faltered over a few hiccups and sobs, but gradually her heart slowed and her tears lessened. Kurt's eyes did not leave her face the entire time.

"I heard it..." Aubrey finally managed to say. "The voice...in my dream..."

"You heard it?" Kurt's voice was relieved. "Then I'm not mad."

"No, you're not mad. _I'm_ mad," said Aubrey.

"What did it say?" Kurt pressed, leaning in. Aubrey hesitated, her eyes locked with his. Her breathing was still audible, coming in shallow gasps. They dominated the silence like a drumroll.

"Should you be this close?" Aubrey asked. Kurt furrowed his brow, but did not blink.

"I can control it," he said. "I am not hunting. My senses are completely under my control."

"Are you sure?" asked Aubrey.

"Positive," said Kurt, grinning. "So what did the voice say?"

"Aubrey! Kurtis is not in the closet!" came a shout. Jaquis appeared in the doorway. "Oh, thank God he's still here."

"Jaquis, I haven't lost every ounce of willpower," said Kurt, a little hurt by their lack of confidence.

"We have good reason to worry, Kurtis," said Jaquis, crossing over. "Should you be so close to us after you killed--"

"I have it under control," said Kurt, but he could not prevent the wince that accompanied his words. Jaquis looked at Aubrey, then back.

"Your mom let you come over this early?" asked Aubrey.

"Yeah...she thinks I have homework to make up before school starts. Not to mention she's been crying since last night about..." he glanced at Kurt, who had gone rigid, and hurriedly changed the subject. "What are you doing in here?"

"Aubrey heard the voice," said Kurt. Jaquis's eyebrows raised and he crossed his arms.

"What did it say?"

"It kept saying that Kurt was out of our control; that we can't be safe with him in the house with us. It seems to think that he'll give in to his thirst and kill us all."

"I can control it!" objected Kurt.

"That's what I told it," said Aubrey.

"What else did you say?" asked Jaquis.

"I asked who the voice was," said Aubrey, "and...it said 'One who will have you in their grasp soon'." The room was silent for a moment.

"He can't mean it," said Jaquis. "I mean...it's a voice. Voices can't capture anyone."

"What if its one of the vampires from the Hall?" asked Aubrey. The boys stared at her. "I mean...they do have abilities beyond normal. And they do want Kurt to join them..."

"How do you know they want me to join them?" asked Kurtis, his eyes narrowing. Aubrey shrugged.

"If it's a coven, then I think they'd get every vampire they could find to join them," she said.

"But why does he want you too?" asked Jaquis. Aubrey frowned.

"I don't know," she said. Suddenly a beeping filled the room. Aubrey looked at her night table to see her alarm clock flashing the time at her in angry, red numbers. She hit a button on the top and looked at Jaquis. "Time for school," she said.

"Can we leave you here with Jack and Guy and trust that you won't kill them?" Jaquis asked Kurt. The vampire glared and stood.

"I think I've had my fill of blood for the time being. Though I could always make room for one more," he retorted pointedly. Jaquis held up his hands peaceably.

"Come on, let us let Aubrey get dressed," he said.

"I think I'll stay for this," said Kurt. His mouth stretched in a wide grin. Jaquis grabbed his wrist and pulled. Kurt stayed where he was. Aubrey gave him a look and he raised his hands, palms up. "Joking." He followed Jaquis out of the room.

Aubrey dressed in her uniform quickly and ran down the stairs, backpack over her shoulder. Jack was gone to work. Guy had the paper open on the counter and he was seated on a stool in front of it, chewing on a spoonful of cereal. Jaquis and Kurt sat on the couch, watching the television. They looked up as she entered.

"I ain't driving if he's here," said Guy. Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"Good morning to you too, Guy," she said. Her brother didn't look up from the paper.

"I think this morning sucks, actually. We have to start all over. Take the precautions again, maybe move into a hotel again, raid the pet stores and kidnap neighbors' pets _again_!"

"We don't have to, Guy," said Aubrey. "It was a one-night slip up. Kurt has enough self control not to do it again."

"Weren't you the one that said that self control gets harder after they've tasted human blood," said Guy.

"Well--" A hiss cut Aubrey off, making her jump. Kurt stood on the couch, glaring at them both with his still-red eyes. Guy looked up at him, his brow still furrowed in frustration.

"Stop talking about me like I'm your pet dog," he growled through his teeth. "I think _I_ know my limits better than any single one of you."

Silence followed his statement. Guy sighed, lowering the paper. He looked at Kurt.

"Can you control yourself?" he demanded. Kurt stared at him with eyes full of loathing and his lips parted to reveal white, clenched teeth.

"Yes," he hissed through them. Another silence. Jaquis slowly stood up from the couch.

"Come on, Aubrey," he said. As he walked with her out of the door, he threw a warning glance back at Kurt, and then turned his eyes to Guy. "Guy, why don't you go to the store? Your refrigerator is severely lacking anything edible."

"Fine...fine..." grumbled Guy, lifting the paper to block his face from sight.

As Jaquis started up his car, Aubrey looked out of the window at the neighboring yard. She blinked. It looked as though a face had been watching from the corner of the house, but it had been so quick that she dismissed it.

"Jaquis," she said.

"Yes?"

"Do you think Kurt really has control?" she asked. Jaquis looked at her.

"You haven't known him as long as I have," he said. "I don't know what happened to him last night, but he has strength of character that you wouldn't find in anyone else in the world. If he says he has control, then he has control. I believe him." Aubrey looked back out of the window as they rolled out onto the road.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

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	20. The Call

**Disclaimer: Don't own **_**New Moon**_

**Here's a more actiony chapter for you!**

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Aubrey was preoccupied all through school. Her thoughts kept shifting back to the voice, Kurt, and Roger at the Hall. Several teachers told her to wake up, though sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. The other students seemed preoccupied as well, though their focus was on a dance rather than supernatural beings with the ability to kill each and every one of them without effort.

"Are you going?" asked Jaquis as they sat down to lunch out on the green lawn. Aubrey blinked and looked around at him.

"Huh? To what?"

"The dance," said Jaquis. Aubrey stared at him incredulously. He raised an eyebrow. "Well are you going?"

"No...well...I...Don't you think it's a bit out of the question?" asked Aubrey. Jaquis shrugged.

"I don't see why it would be," he said.

"But...Kurt--"

"He can take care of himself for one night," said Jaquis. Aubrey looked at the ground. Jaquis put an arm around her shoulder. "You have been stressing too much."

"I guess...but I have reason to. He's still new to the lifestyle..."

"I know. But there's only so much you can do before he has to take over for his own actions," said Jaquis. "Now do you want to go to the dance?"

"I have no one to go with," said Aubrey. Jaquis cleared his throat. She looked up. "What?" Then her eyes widened. "Oh! Do you want to go with me?"

"If you want me to," said Jaquis, smiling. Aubrey nodded.

"Yeah, come with me," she said. Then her face paled. "I need a dress! I need shoes!"

"We'll shop later this week. We have Wednesday and Thursday still."

"Right...okay," said Aubrey. Jaquis was staring at her, smiling still. She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing."

Aubrey went back to class with her mood considerably lighter. Calculus wasn't even that bad. Not as bad as it normally was when she was preoccupied, that is. She just hoped Jack didn't see her grades anytime soon. In Literature, Mr. Edeson took pity on them. Or rather he took pity on himself.

Aubrey had vaguely noticed that, day by day throughout the semester, Mr. Edeson had become increasingly more tired and resigned. It was obvious that his life outside of school was causing him an insurmountable amount of stress. Aubrey empathized, but was too concerned with her own problems to press further into his situation.

"Just read the next story in your book," sighed Edeson from his desk, running a hand through his hair.

"Which one, Mr. Edeson?"

"I don't care!" replied Edeson, picking up the book and flipping to a random page. "The...Cask of Amontillado! Read that until class ends. There will be an exam over it tomorrow." The students doubted it, but they opened their books. Aubrey flipped her copy open and flicked her eyes to the first word.

_'Working hard?'_

Her eyes widened and she gasped. A few other students looked around at her. She coughed into her hand and unhooked her hair from behind her ears so that it hung in a curtain around her face. The voice in her head laughed.

_'I can't see how you can concentrate on your schoolwork while your brother and father are being torn limb from limb by an uncontrollable creature of the night.'_

_'Kurt isn't uncontrollable,'_ retorted Aubrey mentally. She hoped that her tone sounded strong, because her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

_'You can't know for sure. If you had seen other newborns, you would not be so confident,'_ said the voice. Its tone grew smug. _'That may be sooner than you think...'_ Aubrey grimaced.

_'What do you want with me?'_ she demanded. A laugh rang through her head.

_'Now wouldn't you like to know,'_ it mocked in a singsong tone. '_I think it is more amusing to keep you guessing.'_

_'Play with your food before you eat it?'_ replied Aubrey darkly.

_'You might say it would be more playing than eating,'_ said the voice. It laughed at her derisively, fading.

Aubrey stared at the book pages in front of her. The words seemed to be vibrating. She was dazed. Spots danced across her vision and she realized she wasn't breathing. She took a shuddering breath. Then another. She had to force herself to breath. A few people turned around and looked at her. She could see the alarm in their eyes as they saw her face.

"Mr. Edeson?" she heard someone say.

"What is it?"

"Something is wrong with Aubrey..."

"What's the matter, Miss Moore?"

The voices seemed distant. The room seemed distant. Aubrey stood up, her hands shaking by her sides.

"May I go to the nurse?" she asked in a weak, quiet voice.

"Are you alright?" asked the teacher. Aubrey bit her lip.

"I don't feel well," she said. Edeson nodded and she left the room quickly, her legs numb.

Aubrey did not go to the nurse. She staggered down one hallway towards the front entrance of the school. Her thoughts were in a jumble and her adrenaline was rushing. She broke into a run. Outside, she slowed to a fast walk, heading down a sidewalk. Her arms crossed protectively across her middle, hands clutching her elbows, and she was breathing quickly.

The voice was threatening her. It had driven Kurtis to murder. What else was it capable of? Whose voice was it? Why did it want her? Aubrey had no doubt that the voice was capable of kidnapping her if the owner appeared. There was no question in that. But now she had no protection. If she had been back in Forks with Marek when the threats had come, it would have been a different story.

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and sank to her knees, a sob racking her shoulders.

Marek. How she missed him. How she loved him. She had been hurt before by his absence from her life, but now the entire pain came swarming upon her in an uncontrollable wave. She doubled over and several tears hit the pavement.

The ordeal with Kurt had covered her pain, as someone would find something to do to distract them from the pain of an injury. Marek was a part of her, and no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, there was no avoiding the truth that a part of her was missing.

Aubrey wondered if he had moved on. She wondered if he had turned another girl in her place. Then she gasped at the fact that, if not for Guy's revenge-seeking criminal, she wouldn't be human still. She sobbed again and bowed her back as her shoulders shook. The lovesickness was unbearable. And it was worse when mixed with her fear of the disembodied voice.

The next thing she knew, she was running. Her mind was strangely blank, as if someone else was driving her towards her destination. She vaguely noted that it wasn't towards home...

"May I help you?" asked the woman behind the counter. Aubrey distantly heard her own voice speaking.

"Excuse me, but do you have a phone I could borrow?" The voice didn't sound like hers, yet she knew it was hers. The woman looked hesitant, but she nodded.

"Yes, in the back. Is it an emergency?"

"Yes, sort of," said Aubrey. The woman led her into a back room where a phone sat on a table.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"No thank you, I just need the phone," said Aubrey, using all of her strength it seemed to smile. The woman left and Aubrey was alone. She picked up the phone, then stopped. She didn't know how to call America from England.

Then she thought back. There were country code numbers. What was America's? A faint memory of Jack trying to call an old work associate floated to the surface. 001. She dialed it and then the phone number. She held the receiver to her ear.

It rang.

It rang again.

Another ring.

_"Hello?"_ Aubrey breathed.

"Bella?" she spoke. She heard a gasp on the other end.

_"_Aubrey_!?"_ she heard Bella exclaim.

"Yes, yes it's me," said Aubrey.

_"Aubrey! Where are you? You just suddenly disappeared!"_

"It's a long story and I don't have long," said Aubrey. "Look, I'm in England--"

_"England!?"_

"Yes, and--"

_"Marek is looking for you!"_ Aubrey stopped, breathing. It took a long time before she spoke again.

"Marek?" she asked. "He's still there?"

_"I don't know how long he's been here, but he showed up asking about you a few months ago, and then I saw him again recently and...Aubrey, he's back on his old habits. His eyes were red."_

"Bella...Marek..." Aubrey couldn't find words. She was so happy to know that he was still there. Kurt floated into her mind. "Bella! I've got a newborn here! He's in my house--"

_"A newborn _vampire_!?"_ exclaimed Bella. _"Aubrey! He'll--"_

"It's okay! I--" Aubrey paused as a voice floated through the door of the room. IT was the woman, and...another woman. They weren't discussing the store.

"She wanted to make a phone call. I assume she'll be out in a moment. She seemed in a terrible hurry."

"Thank you for calling us. We are trying to rid Clemenside of the problem of students who skip out of class."

"It was my pleasure, Professor Brockwood."

_"Aubrey?"_

"I have to go," said Aubrey quickly, hanging up the phone.

She looked around the room she was in. There were no windows, but there was a backdoor that seemed to be used for deliveries. Aubrey tried the handle. It was locked. She examined the hinges, and then looked around. She rummaged through a few drawers and found the tools. Every store needed them for quick repairs. She picked up a screwdriver and pried up the hinges out of their metal encasings. The door came loose. Aubrey lowered it quietly onto the floor, and then ran out into the street, heading for home.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

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